


Somebody To Love

by imagineyou (jokerindisguise)



Series: Reader Is Number Eight [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, One-Sided Attraction, Reader Insert, Reader is Number Eight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-10-31 18:54:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 75,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerindisguise/pseuds/imagineyou
Summary: You are the eighth member of The Umbrella Academy. Growing up with a father who only referred to you as 'Number Eight,' didn't make for the easiest childhood. Now, with your 'father' dead and a member of the family you had thought long gone returned, you and the other members have to figure out how to stop the impending apocalypse.





	1. I Think We're Alone Now

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably dumb, but this show got its hooks into me and would not let go. I obviously instantly fell in love with Klaus and Diego kind of happened as the series progressed. I decided to kind of add those dynamics into the fic. 
> 
> I watched the series twice after it first came out and read the first series of comics when they came out. So, we'll see how this goes. 
> 
> There will be one chapter for each episode of the Netflix series. Disclaimer to add that I do not own the characters or plot associated with The Umbrella Academy. I am merely playing around in their sandbox. 
> 
> Also, reader's power is obviously influenced by Magneto's power.

Being a part of The Umbrella Academy didn't really give you the glorious childhood everyone seemed to think you experienced. Every member of the family had their own issues. Most of them were caused by Reginald Hargreeves. 

Reginald Hargreeves was a man you could barely make yourself think of as your father. You frequently referred to him as just 'Hargreeves,' because you didn't feel comfortable referring to him as your dad and you didn't want to call him by his first name. 

You thought of the other members as your siblings only because you grew up with them. You were adopted together and you fought together. You were related through your superpowers, but as far as you knew, that was all. 

Number One, or Luther, was probably the one you got along with the least. You never really understood why he shouldered the weight of the team's missions. You never really got why he thought he was the uncontested leader. You loved him, sure, but you didn't always get along with him. 

Number Two, or Diego, was your second closest relationship in the house growing up. You knew he envied Luther for his leadership position, but you always thought that the group didn't so much need a leader as you all needed to listen to each other. Luther and Diego both had a bad habit of trying to get people to fall in line and they clashed more than anything at the worst moments. You grew up training together, since he could throw knives and have them meet his targets and you could pull metal towards yourself using a magnetic pull you didn't entirely understand. As you grew older, you learned how to control metal as well, and Diego helped you learn how to guide it away from yourself and use it as a weapon. 

You fell in love with him over the years. You wanted more, but you knew that he would never want more with you. There was always a mission or a detective to take his attention away from you. By the time you were twenty, you just figured that it wasn't meant to be and tried to let it go. You knew the feelings still lingered, but it wasn't like he was going to completely change his mind from the time he rejected you when you were both sixteen. 

Number Three, or Allison, was weirdly intimidating to you. She always seemed so sure of herself. You weren't sure if it was because all she had to do was say the words to get whatever she wanted or if she actually felt as confident as the way she carried herself. You were always jealous of her power, but you knew that it was both a blessing and a curse. She got what she wanted, but she didn't have to earn it. You knew that it ate away at her sometimes and when you could, you'd try to talk her through it, but sometimes you were scared she would use her power on you. Sometimes you weren't sure if she already had either by her own design or Hargreeves' orders. 

Number Four, or Klaus, was without a doubt your best friend. You were in love with him too, but it was hard not to be. You were convinced that he was the one with the magnetic power since you were so drawn to him. You were endlessly fascinated by the way he chose to see the world and his constant rambles. Sometimes you caught yourself wishing that he was in love with you too. You wanted him in ways that you knew he would never want or need you. Other times, you thought it was probably a good thing that nothing ever came of it, because you'd hate to ruin your friendship and how close you were to him. 

There was a moment, when you were both in your mid-twenties, that you thought he might have felt the same. He came to your apartment one night, high and strung out, and you let him crash on the couch like you always did. In the morning, you made him breakfast and tried to get him to sober up enough to go out into the world and not get hurt. It had been such a nice, fleeting moment when he'd smiled softly at you over the small table in your kitchen and thanked you for the homemade waffles and eggs. He had leaned over and kissed you and it was like the whole world just dropped away. He pulled away, though, and never mentioned it again. It hurt, but you didn't want to make too much out of it. That was just the way Klaus was most of the time. Sure, you had hoped you'd be different, but in the end, you knew you really weren't. 

Number Five was always a bit different. He liked to think he was better than everyone on the team. You could understand why. He was incredibly smart and fearless when it came to his powers. He was always pushing his boundaries and even though he liked to pretend he didn't need the rest of the team, you could see through him. Most of the others could too, because despite the fact that he liked to take you all down from time to time with a carefully crafted barb, you knew he cared about you all. When he disappeared, the first loss to the team, it took a while for the dynamic to come back between you and the others. It was never the same, though, and from there it only seemed to get worse. 

Number Six, or Ben, was quiet. You were never sure if it was because he was scared of his own power or if he just didn't feel like talking all that much. He was sweet, though, and he cared about everyone. When he died, it devastated everyone. It even seemed to knock Hargreeves down a peg or two. It was a shock to know that just because most of you had powers, you were still susceptible to death. From time to time, you'd catch Klaus talking to seemingly no one, but you had a feeling he was really talking to Ben. You ached with the knowledge that Klaus would be the only one to see Ben again and you wished you could see him one last time, but you knew that life and your powers didn't work that way. 

Number Seven, or Vanya, was the only one who didn't have a power. You hated that Hargreeves singled her out by not making her a part of the group. You wanted to be there for her. It wasn't fair that Hargreeves treated her like she wasn't even there half of the time. Every time the group took a picture without her or went on a mission without her, your heart broke just a little bit more to see the confused and crestfallen expression on her face. You tried to include her in things like silly childhood games and you wanted her to know you were there for her. There were moments when Hargreeves would exclude her from something that you would push back, tell him it wasn't okay, but there wasn't much you could do against the man who had adopted you when you were just a kid. 

Number Eight, or you, had a magnetic pull. Usually, you could pull metal towards yourself. It worked for when you were trying to distract a bad guy by pulling on his watch or belt or even his gun. It helped when you could simply pull the weapons towards yourself, so the bad guys had to rely on their fists. As you got older, you learned to propel metal as well. You could manipulate things into moving and even make guns fire by themselves. When you were younger, Hargreeves would lock you in a room with only the barest hints of metal to manipulate. He would leave you in there for days, telling you that you could come out once you had formed the metal pieces you could pull to yourself into an object of his choosing. Usually you would spend the time screaming to be let out or calling him all kinds of names. He was delusional and convinced that you could become strong enough to even turn the Earth if you concentrated hard enough. You got stronger, sure, but never that strong. 

The day your so-called father died, you were helping Diego save a family from a group of armed robbers. He liked to play at being a vigilante, and while you didn't always help him, you were the only one in the family he really went to when he needed someone to tag along. It was rare, because he didn't like having backup, which usually baffled you since he grew up having to rely on a team. This time, you had wormed your way into going with him. You knew he could probably take care of the family by himself, but you had heard the call on the police scanner while you were meeting up with him for your weekly dinner catch-up session and decided to join him on the self-appointed mission. 

Once the family was saved, a news story on the television captured both of your attentions. 

"Fuck," you whispered, seeing the newscaster explain how Hargreeves had been reported dead in his family home. You shared a look with Diego, feeling cold and bereft, knowing that this would change things. 

Your family was separated, but in a way, Hargreeves was there at the center of everything. He had brought you together. He had chosen the worst and shittiest ways to harness all of your powers so you could save the world, whatever that meant at the time. He had given you all a home. 

Now, without Five and Ben, you weren't sure that there was much of a family to really bring together any more. It seemed like it was still in the process of falling apart. 

You longed for the days when you and the others would sneak out to Griddy's Doughnuts and make yourselves sick on sugar and fried dough. You missed going to the bowling alley and goading Diego and Luther into competing with each other until your group was asked to leave. You missed everyone, but it was all so much more complicated now. Nothing was the same and you weren't sure it ever would be again. Luther was on the Moon. Diego liked to be alone most of the time, and spent most nights listening to his police scanner in the hopes of saving the day. Allison was famous. Klaus was Klaus and was usually searching for his next high, even when you begged him not to. Five was missing. Ben was dead. Vanya, from what she told you, was still playing her violin, giving lessons, and still raking in a modest living from her tell-all book on the family. And you? You were living through the twisted fantasies you wrote about in your notebooks, fielding calls from your editor and agent, only keeping in touch with Diego, Klaus, and Vanya, and trying your best to forget about every heartache and hurt you had ever experienced. You were all emotionally stunted and probably would never have a healthy outlook on the world or life. Life was just a little too fucked up to ever make sense for any of you. 

"Come on," Diego whispered, pulling you away from the TV. It was then that the sound of sirens drifted in and you realized that you were still standing in the living room of the family you had just saved. 

You shivered all the way to the car, shaking and panting, feeling like you were about to collapse. 

"Let's get you in the car," Diego said as he pulled you over to the passenger side of his car. You fell into the seat, staring at nothing until Diego got into the driver's seat and turned the car on. He started up the heater, pointing the vents towards you. "Where do you want me to drop you off?" 

You shook your head, trying to get your mind to work again. "Home," you whispered, knowing that if Klaus knew, then he would eventually end up there. You weren't sure what he was doing tonight, if he was still in rehab or out getting high, but you knew you would probably end up seeing him later that night. 

"Are you okay to be alone?" 

You rolled your eyes, slowly pulling yourself back together. "You know just as well as I do that dad was a piece of shit. It was just a shock. That's all," you insisted. 

Diego didn't say anything else as he drove you home. 

Once he pulled up outside your apartment building, he turned to watch you. 

"What?" You felt defensive and like you needed to hide yourself away. Diego had a painful habit of knowing what was wrong with someone and whether he should use it against them or actually help them. 

He shook his head. "If you need to talk..." He trailed off, not finishing the sentence. 

"Yeah, same for you." You offered him a small, forced smile before you pulled yourself out of the car, making sure to tuck the domino mask the both of you still wore into the inside pocket of your jacket. You lifted your hand in a wave as he pulled away from the curb before letting yourself into your apartment building. 

You walked up the two flights of stairs to your floor, struggling to get your apartment keys out of the front pocket of your pants. Once you were in your apartment, you leaned back against the door and closed your eyes, feeling like you were able to shut the world out for now. No one was here to wonder if you were okay. You weren't going to be recognized as 'one of those Umbrella Academy kids.' You wouldn't be recognized for the series of dark fantasy novels you had managed to make a decent living off of over the past few years. You could just unwind and be yourself. 

"Knock, knock," came the lilting tone of your favorite person in the world. Well, you amended, at least he was most of the time. You distinctly remembered the time when you were both fifteen and he set your favorite pair of shoes on fire just to see what would happen. 

"Fuck, Klaus," you hissed. Usually you were better at realizing when Klaus had broken into your apartment, but you were distracted this time. 

"Well, if you insist," he sang, and you could just make out where he was settling himself down onto your couch. 

Your chest clenched painfully at the thought that he was only joking. It was probably weird, you knew, but it wasn't like you were actually related. As far as you knew, you were both adopted from random women by the eccentric billionaire with a dire need to collect children with superpowers. 

"Did you hear?" You found yourself slowly crossing over towards the couch, reaching out to turn on the lamp right beside where Klaus had his feet propped up on the arm of the couch. 

Klaus squinted up at you from where he was sprawled on the cushions. "About dear ol' dad?" 

You nodded, dropping down into the armchair that was situated by the window. You glanced over at Klaus, rolling your eyes. "Why does it feel so weird? I haven't bothered to think about him in a while and suddenly, it's like the world stopped for a few seconds." 

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "I'm still not entirely convinced he's not going to spring up and tell us what disappointments we all are." 

"True," you conceded with a laugh. You sighed, staring out the window down at the street below. "You staying here tonight?" 

"Yeah," Klaus said, his voice already soft and slow. You glanced over to see he was already dozing off. You sighed and stood up, grabbing the blanket on the back of the armchair and moved to place it over him. 

"We'll go tomorrow morning," you told him. "Be ready." 

"Always am," he told you before he closed his eyes and drifted off. 

You took a few seconds to make yourself move towards the hallway that led to your bedroom. It was a weird feeling that had you frozen, because you wanted to be alone, but not really. You glanced over at where Klaus was passed out and found yourself only going into your bedroom to grab your comforter off your bed. You walked back into your living room and curled back up on the armchair, almost wishing to join Klaus on the couch, but you knew he had a habit of kicking in his sleep. With your luck, you would wake up to the sensation of falling off the couch and hitting the floor. 

You stayed there, watching out the window, until suddenly you were waking up. You didn't even remember going to sleep. It seemed like one moment you were watching the slow trickle of endless city traffic below and then Klaus was suddenly shaking your shoulder. 

"Get up, Y/N. Today's the day," he said with a flourish, practically skipping over towards where he'd left his jacket hanging over the arm of the couch. 

"Ugh," you groaned. You shook your head, feeling emotionally hungover. You didn't want to go to the Academy. "Do I have to?" You whined, closing your eyes again. 

"It's the only way to be sure the old man is really gone," Klaus told you, offering you a grin when you squinted up at him. "Besides, you know I can't drive myself. Let's go." 

You groaned again and made yourself get up, wishing you could have at least one cup of coffee, before you let Klaus usher you out of your apartment. You considered changing out of the same clothes you wore the night before, but changed your mind. It would take too long and you were suddenly anxious to get to the Academy. 

You led Klaus out towards where your car was parked. You waved at him to get in after you unlocked the doors while you took a second to breathe out on the street. You noticed Klaus talking to someone in the backseat and managed to shake your head, wondering what Ben had to say now. 

The drive to the Academy was mostly quiet on your part. Klaus babbled about different things and while you normally listened, you ended up tuning him out this time. 

You parked in the alley beside the Academy, noticing that Diego's car was already there. "Of course," you muttered to yourself. Klaus climbed out of the car and rushed up to the door. You stayed behind, simply staring up at the building you had called home for almost two decades. 

"Come on, Y/N! What's taking you so long?" Klaus was practically bouncing on his feet as he waved you forward. 

"Just go on without me," you insisted, shaking your head. "I'll be there in a few minutes." 

Klaus rolled his eyes, but let himself into the building. You stayed there for a few minutes, wondering if you should give into the urge to just get back into your car and drive away. Maybe you could leave the country for a few weeks. Maybe you could never come back. 

You finally forced yourself to walk into the house. Nostalgia and pain were wrapped up in the Academy and usually you would have avoided it, but you knew you had to be there, just this once. 

You navigated towards the living room with its couches and bar and portrait of Number Five over the fireplace. "This house is not a home," you whispered to yourself, staring up at the painting of Five and wondering if he was still alive. 

"Hey, Y/N," you heard from just behind you. 

You turned to see Vanya standing there, glancing around the room and looking unsure. "Hey," you said, raising your hand in a little wave before you rolled your eyes and moved to hug her. You had just seen her a few weeks ago. You usually managed to meet up for coffee about once a month. She thought everyone hated her for the tell-all book, but you didn't. You understood in a way that the others might not. Growing up in the Academy was painful and frustrating and you knew it had been even worse for her, because she had been forced to go through everything by herself. 

You watched her walk over towards the bookcase and pull down a copy of her autobiography. She flipped to one of the first pages, but from where you were standing, you couldn't see which part she was considering. 

"Miss Vanya and Y/N," Pogo said, causing you to jump. You didn't even notice him walk into the room. Vanya closed the book and put it back up on the shelf, turning to smile at Pogo. 

You turned to stare up at the portrait of Five again, listening to Vanya ask if Hargreeves had ever bothered to read her book. You knew the answer and you were sure she had to have known as well, but like all of the others, they secretly wanted the approval of Hargreeves. You listened to Pogo give her a polite answer before there was an awkward, heavy silence behind you. 

"How long has it been since Five disappeared?" 

"Sixteen years, four months, and fourteen days," Pogo answered. You were surprised he kept track, but then he mentioned that Hargreeves asked him to, and it made sense. 

You listened to the story of Vanya leaving out the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches for Five, thinking he would come back in the middle of the night and think they'd forgotten about him. 

You had that unmistakable feeling that something was wrong. You'd lived with anxiety issues for most of your life and right now, there was that crawling, restless feeling just under your skin, urging you to do something. You didn't know what you were supposed to do, though. You barely acknowledged Vanya while you were lost in your thoughts. Pogo had left at some point, but she was sitting on the couch when you turned away from your position in front of the fireplace. 

You sat down on the opposite end of the couch with your back to the bar, drumming your fingers on your knee as you stared at the fire still going in the fireplace. You wondered if Pogo started it or if your mom did. You glanced around for a second, realizing that you hadn't seen mom at all yet. You wondered if she was okay. You were thinking about getting up and going to find her, but then the others arrived in the room. 

Klaus immediately moved to raid the bar and Luther settled down on the couch opposite you and Vanya. 

"Vanya. Y/N," he said with a nod of his head to each of you. 

"Hey, Luther," Vanya responded, but you chose to simply raise your hand in a wave. 

Allison moved towards the chair by the fireplace close to Vanya while Diego sat down in the chair across from her. You were still a bit out of it, your memories replaying in your mind of your childhood. There were the missions that Hargreeves insisted were important and the way he would pit all of you against each other to be the best. You remembered the red leather notebook he used with his initials 'RH' stamped on the front. He was always writing in it. You had wondered your whole life what kind of secrets he was hiding in that journal. He was never without it. Now that he was gone, you felt like you had to find it. Maybe, just maybe, the way he had treated you all like experiments would suddenly make sense if you could get an idea of what really went on in that mind of his. 

You didn't really start paying attention to what was going on until Klaus sat down on your lap, spilling a bit of his drink on your leg. 

"Ugh, get your bony ass off me," you protested, jolted out of your thoughts. 

Klaus grinned at you and wriggled more into your lap. You rolled your eyes and he sighed before pushing you around so his back was to the armrest and his legs were thrown over your lap, but somehow made sure his full weight wasn't resting on your thighs. You absently reached out to play with the hem of the skirt he had put on at some point. You shot him an evil grin before you reached out and pulled on some of his leg hair, retaliating for dropping his drink on you. 

He yelped and shoved your shoulder lightly, both of you sharing a grin. 

"So, nothing has changed there," Luther said, pulling your attention towards him and realizing that everyone was staring at you and Klaus. 

"Wait, what?" You glanced around at everyone else, noticing that Allison had an eyebrow raised at the pair of you. 

"I was asking Klaus to try to contact dad," Luther said. 

"Oh, is that all?" Klaus snorted into his drink and you felt half tempted to steal it from him. You weren't usually one to drink, but if anything, the past couple of days warranted something. You almost envied Klaus, because you knew that he wasn't really feeling much of anything right now. 

You blinked a few times when you realized you had spaced out yet again. You knew you needed to focus, but there was just too much going on. 

You heard Luther mention Hargreeves' monocle and realized he was implying that one of the group might have murdered him and stolen it. 

"Really?" You scrunched up your face at the thought. 

Luther nodded his head. "Yeah, really. What about you, huh? You never called him 'dad.' You never cared about him at all." 

"Yeah, because he treated us all like we were his little science experiments." You shoved Klaus' legs off your lap and stood, squaring off against Luther. "If he had acted like a father, then maybe I would have treated him like one." You reached out and punched Luther in the shoulder, your mind momentarily distracted by the size of his biceps. "What the fuck, Luther? Did he send you to the Moon to bench-press it?" 

"You don't know anything about that," Luther snarled, getting into your face. 

"You're right," you conceded, putting your hands up and taking a step away from him. "Because the old man liked his secrets and he never told us anything." You turned to walk out of the living area, knowing what you needed to do now. 

"Where are you going?" Allison called after you. 

"Anywhere but here," you answered, already moving off in the direction of Hargreeves' study. That was the first place you needed to look for the journal. 

You spent half an hour rifling through the desk drawers in the study before you gave up. That was the most obvious place. You glanced around before you slumped down into the desk chair, glancing around the room. There were so many places to search in the house, but you had thought for sure the journal would have been locked up in his desk somewhere. 

You were considering searching the cabinets when the music started up from Luther’s room. You listened to the familiar beat, feeling a pull that brought you back to memories of dancing with your siblings. You were all so young and unburdened by being superheroes or anything else at that point. You would laugh and make fun of each other's moves, but still moved all together. Those impromptu dance parties were some of the only carefree moments from your childhood. 

You couldn't help but stand up, losing yourself to the music for just a little bit, remembering the silly dance moves you would invent as a child just to make the others laugh. 

You couldn't help but think that Hargreeves would have had a fit to see you dancing around his study now, so you moved to push a few things off his desk and climbed on top of it. You moved with the beat and mouthed along to the words, your eyes closed as you swayed and kicked things off the desk just to listen to them crash to the floor. 

You were only brought out of the moment by what seemed like lightning striking just outside the house. You frowned and jumped off the desk, rushing towards the door to the back courtyard. Diego and Vanya were already there and Luther and Allison weren't too far behind. You felt a weird pull towards what looked like some kind of wormhole opening up right in front of the group. You found yourself walking closer and closer, your power responding in a way you didn't understand. Instead of pulling or pushing metal around, you felt like you were the one being drawn in. 

"Get back!" Klaus yelled before he tried to use a fire extinguisher on the anomaly. When that didn’t work, you watched as he threw it and it disappeared between one flash of blue and another. You could just make out a man appearing between all of the flashing lights. You were so focused on the anomaly that you barely noticed when you were pulled away towards the group and Luther telling everyone to get behind him. 

And then Five dropped down to the ground and the anomaly disappeared. 

Later, Five made a sandwich with his usual peanut butter and marshmallows and all of you could only watch helplessly, mostly lost for words. 

You watched Five as Vanya told him it was March twenty-fourth, confused by the relief on his face, and as the others questioned him about where he had been the whole time. 

You weren't surprised to hear that the future was shit, especially considering everything that had been going on lately. You _were_ surprised to hear that Five had been gone for forty-five years. 

"So your mind is old, but your body is young," you summed up with a wince. "That sounds terrible." 

"You're telling me," Five said, shaking his sandwich at you. "I'm fifty-eight and thirteen at the same time. It's fantastic," he added sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He stopped to consider Klaus for a few moments. "Nice dress," he told him before he moved to walk out of the room. 

You watched Five leave, listening to Klaus thank him, before you stood up from the chair you had been sitting in. 

You wanted to glance around Hargreeves' bedroom before you all said goodbye out in the courtyard. 

Later, as you stood in the rain, the hood of your raincoat pulled up over your head and shivering, you were disappointed that your second quick search for the journal had still produced nothing. You pulled your jacket tighter around yourself, watching as Luther dumped the ashes of Hargreeves on the ground. 

Of course, because everything in your family eventually devolved into a fight, Luther and Diego started arguing. You had been listening to Pogo waxing poetical about your supposed father when Diego cut in. You knew it couldn't produce anything good, so you had slowly started inching towards the back door, figuring that the memorial was over and you could go back to looking for the journal. 

"Aren't you going to pull them apart?" Vanya turned to you and asked when Diego and Luther started hitting each other. 

You might have been tempted to separate the two. Usually you could pull on any metal they were wearing and force them apart. You shook your head. "Luther hasn't worn any metal in years," you admitted bitterly. He told you he didn't like to think that you could control him. You had told him that was funny since Hargreeves had been controlling him for years. It was one of the last conversations you'd had with him before he went to the Moon and it seemed like he was still using any excuse not to give you an upper hand. Even though you could have pulled Diego away, you preferred not to. "I'd like to know how it turns out," you said, noticing Klaus' attempt to protect Five from the fight with a grin as you turned to start back towards the door into the house. 

You flinched at the sound of Ben's statue hitting the ground, glancing over your shoulder to see it destroyed. You rolled your eyes, reaching out to open the back door. 

"Diego, no!" You heard Vanya shout before you felt the metal curving through the air. You hadn't been paying attention, so you weren't quick enough to stop the knife from slicing into Luther's arm. 

You turned back around, a foot already stepping into the house, before you reached a hand out. You barely had to concentrate to bring the knife into your hand, curving it away from where Luther was walking. Since training with Diego for years, you had gotten to know the feel of his knives very well. It was almost effortless to call one of them to you now and you watched his expression darken when he realized you were holding one of his knives in your hand. You knew, more than anything, that he hated losing them. You shared a look with him, trying to get across how _done_ you were with everything in that moment, before you stepped into the house. 

You sat down in a kitchen chair only moments later, thinking of how Hargreeves had always pitted you against the others. There were always competitions and training drills. You never had much time to just be a kid. You always looked up to the sight of Hargreeves scribbling away in his little journal. You just knew it housed all of his deepest and darkest secrets and if it was the last thing you did, you were going to get your hands on it. 

Five was soon rummaging through the cabinets and Klaus had joined you at the table, sitting with his legs curled under him and clutching a guitar to his chest. Allison walked in, asking where Vanya was. 

You listened to the conversation, only really interjecting when Five said he was leaving to find a decent cup of coffee. 

Once he teleported out of the room and the sound of a car started up, you got up and moved towards the door. You watched as Five drove away in the old family car, your thoughts torn between trying to follow him and letting him go off on his own. He wasn't a kid anymore, even if he did look like it. By all rights, he was technically older than all of you. He knew what he was doing. 

You heard Klaus wondering if Five should be stopped and then immediately saying he kind of wanted to see how it all worked out. You were glad that even with everything being so fucked up lately that Klaus was still able to be himself. He was wild and unpredictable and seemingly free in a way that usually brought a smile to your face. Most of the others grew exasperated with him quickly, but you were endlessly fascinated by him. 

It wasn't long before Diego joined you at the door, obviously intent on leaving. 

"You know," you said, as you handed over Diego's knife. "You could be less of a jackass." 

"But then I wouldn't be me," Diego told you with a grin. 

"Oh, are we leaving?" Klaus asked you, stepping forward until he was in your space. 

You shook your head. "I've got something to do. Get a ride with Diego." 

"I don't have time to take him somewhere." 

You fixed Diego with an unimpressed look, silently telling him that he better do this for Klaus or you would take his knife back. Diego rolled his eyes and nodded at Klaus. 

"Oh, let me get my things," Klaus said, clapping his hands as he turned around and left. 

"What do you need to do?" 

You shrugged your shoulders and started walking away. "Just some unfinished business," you said over your shoulder, leaving the kitchen and passing Klaus as he ran back into the room. 

You found your way back to the study. This time, you weren't going to leave until you had looked through every possible location that Hargreeves could have hidden his journal and secret notes. When nothing turned up, you moved to the old man's bedroom, hoping that you didn't run into anyone. You knew it would look incredibly suspicious and while you partly didn't care that Luther thought you had killed your so-called father, you still felt hurt at the thought that he would think you would do that to your family. You knew the others, in their own ways, would be devastated by the death of Hargreeves. You were as well, but probably for different reasons. 

After hours of searching, you had to admit temporary defeat. It was dark and you were tired. You wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and pass out. Maybe you could sneak into the house the next day and search more. You were half-tempted to just sleep in your old bedroom, but you really didn't want to dredge up whatever memories were waiting for you in there. 

When you pulled up to your apartment building, Diego was just dropping Klaus off outside. You waved at him, noticing that he was already wearing his domino mask again. You opened your mouth, thinking about inviting yourself along purely by habit, before you shook your head. Now wasn't the time to play vigilante with Diego. You needed to rest. 

Diego frowned at you in confusion, probably wondering why you hadn't tried to convince him to let you tag along. You waved at him, instead, and led Klaus into your apartment building. Once you got him settled on your couch, knowing that he would probably crawl into your bed at some point during the night, you walked back into your bedroom. You stared around the room for a moment before you sighed and got changed into your pajama shorts and t-shirt. 

You fell asleep to thoughts of the journal and wondering what Hargreeves had been working on this whole time. It had to all be for something. You wouldn't allow yourself to believe otherwise.


	2. 'Cause I'm Havin' a Good Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that the endgame pairing will be Diego/Reader, but this will still heavily focus on the relationship between Klaus and the reader. For those of you who wanted Klaus/Reader endgame, I promise to write one. I have another idea where reader is Number Eight and for Klaus and the reader to end up together. Hell, at this point I'm just going to start a series of 'Reader is Number Eight' fics to explore different 'verse possibilities. However, I will be planning it as I write this one and once I'm done writing this fic, I'll start on that. Hopefully you guys won't stay disappointed with me!

The morning that Five vanished from your lives started out like any other morning in the household. 

Herr Carlson droned on from the record player once your mom started it up and you and your siblings waited around the table for Hargreeves to grace you with his presence. There wasn't anything to signal to any of the others that everything was about to start to fall apart. 

Once Hargreeves had seated himself and commanded you all to follow suit, you were expected to eat breakfast in silence. You usually sat between Diego and Five, attempting to eat and be done with your meal in peace so that you could be excused and go about your life. Those mornings were normally spent observing the other members at the table. It wasn't surprising when Klaus tried to get away with rolling a joint under the table or bothering Ben so that he would drop the book he was reading. Luther and Allison spent their time trying to be subtle about their budding romance, even though everyone knew about it. Diego always spent that time on his knives or trying to get away with carving something into the wood of the table. Vanya and Five regularly kept to themselves, but on that particular morning, you could sense a tension in the air around Five. 

It wasn't much of a shock to you when he drove his knife into the table and settled Hargreeves with an indignant look. You listened to Five with your head bowed over your breakfast, amused that he had dared to interrupt the usual silence that Hargreeves demanded during meals. You absently ran your power over the knife where it was stuck in the wood of the dining table. It helped ease the tension you were starting to feel in your shoulders. 

You weren't surprised that Five was pushing the issue of time-travel, though. You had heard him going on and on about his need to jump forward or backwards in time, so this particular argument was a long time coming. He was so confident in himself. He knew he could do it, so you believed he could do it too. Who would know better about Five’s power than Five? 

Hargreeves’ insistence that time-travel was too finnicky wasn’t new either. Five usually argued with the man for a few minutes before leaving the subject alone. There was a determination about him this time, though. You could tell he wouldn’t be happy to let the subject drop so soon. 

You watched his spatial jump from beside you to Hargreeves' side, knowing that he was going to storm out if he didn't get his way, and already pushing yourself back from the table in anticipation of going after him. You knew Five was convinced that he could do everything by himself, but you were also sure he relied on whatever comfort he could get in your dysfunctional family. 

By the time Five was walking out of the room, you were moving to stand up. 

"Number Eight, sit down this once." Hargreeves' tone demanded you comply with his order, but you couldn't help but push back a bit. 

"You're really going to let him go off like that? What if something happens to him?" Five was sometimes prone to throwing fits or taking drastic measures when he clashed with Hargreeves and you weren’t all that intent on letting him go off alone. It never meant anything good. 

"Number Five has made his choice," Hargreeves said, his disappointment coming through strong in his tone. "Now sit down and finish your breakfast." 

You sat down and ignored the stares of the others, silently pulling the knife Five had driven into the table towards you and setting it down beside his abandoned breakfast. 

You had regretted your decision to listen to Hargreeves that morning ever since. 

After Five disappeared, you felt desperate to do something to keep track of the others. Sure, you interacted with all of your supposed siblings in different ways and each of them inspired their own unique set of emotions within you, but you did truly love and care for them all. You didn’t want to lose another one. 

For months, you looked for Five everywhere you went, convinced you would be out walking in the city one day and all you had to do was turn around a corner and there he would be. His place remained empty at the dining table and every day you would stare at the gouge he had made with the knife. You found yourself running your fingers over it from time to time, wishing you had Five’s powers so that you could go back in time and fix that awful morning. 

It took you a while to figure out what you wanted to do, but once you decided on a course of action, you were stubborn about making sure it happened. 

You settled on the idea of making a token for each member of the Academy. You figured that at least Hargreeves' torture sessions were good for something since you knew how you were going to accomplish your self-appointed task. 

It took you weeks to make the first one. You used pieces of scrap metal and fused them together, trying to make a unique blend that your senses would be able to pick out easily. You spent hours upon hours on just one of the tokens. You formed the metal into a coin, using your power to raise edges and engrave, so that one side had a number and the other side had a name. 

You started with Luther's, figuring that you would go in the numerical order that Hargreeves had imposed on all of you since birth. It took you close to a month to finish the first coin you made. You spent hours holding it in your hands and placing it in random places around your room, making sure you would be able to recognize it. By the time you handed it over to Luther with a shrug of your shoulders, you had known every groove and imperfection in the surface. You could user your powers to run them over the engraved name on one side of the coin and the raised '1' on the other side. Luther had looked baffled as you explained what it was for, but he ultimately agreed that it might be necessary.   
Once Luther’s token was finished, you went straight to work on Diego's coin. It got easier with each one you created and by the time all of them were completed, you felt a sense of accomplishment for using your powers for something you actually wanted to do for once. 

Hargreeves was even pleased that he could help you turn it into a training exercise. The others would hold their tokens in their hands and go and hide in random places around the mansion. You would reach out with your powers to find each kid by trying to focus on the coin they were supposed to keep clutched in their hand. The first time you tried to find everyone, it took you half a day. It didn’t help that Klaus quickly grew bored of the exercise and decided to keep you on your toes by moving from room to room, never really staying in one place. You had felt embarrassed that it took you so long to locate everyone, especially since you made the damn coins and studied them for hours on end. You had expected Hargreeves to have some snide remark about being better and trying harder next time, but he had stayed silent and only wrote down notes in his journal. 

By the end of the month, it only took you an hour to find the others. After that, you upgraded the game to the neighborhood. Trying to pick out the coins proved difficult when you were surrounded by cars and people walking by wearing watches and rings. Your senses tried to hone in on all of them and it only served to distract you. You had always meant to eventually have the others hide around the city so that you could find them if something ever went wrong on a mission, but then Ben had died. 

Ben's death was the fracture in the group that would never heal. After that, playing games and doing anything but saving people had been placed firmly on the back burner. 

As far as you knew, Luther had stopped keeping his token on him only months after Ben's death. By that point, you were butting heads with him more often than not, and him leaving his token in his room was his way of letting you know that you didn't need to keep tabs on him anymore, even if it was for your own peace of mind. 

Diego kept his in the boiler room where he lived at the Fighting Lion. You weren't upset by that, though, because he knew that you could just as well figure out where he was as long as he was wearing his knives. 

When Allison left for her life of fame, she also left her token in her old childhood bedroom. It wasn't like you could feel her all the way across the country, but it still stung to know that she didn't at least want to keep it with her.   
Klaus always had it on him. Half the time, you really didn't want to know where he was hiding it, especially with the tight pants or skirts he sometimes wore. You were just touched that years after you created it, he still managed to keep a hold on it, because he knew that even with your limited range, it helped you to know that at least he had it on him. 

The one you created for Ben was kept in your safety deposit box at your local bank. Sometimes when you passed the building, you could feel the coin sitting in its box where it was meant to stay safe and unharmed. You only wished that you could still reach out with the knowledge that it was Ben holding the coin instead of it sitting untouched and locked inside a bank vault. 

Vanya had asked you to help put a small hole through the top of hers and she kept it on a key chain, so as long as she had her keys with her, it would be with her. 

When you woke up the morning after your father's funeral, you were alone in your apartment. Since you knew Klaus had never joined you at some point during the night, you figured he had either left in the middle of the night or early that morning. You wondered for a brief moment what he was up to, since he was rarely up before you. 

Either way, the second you were awake and aware of what was going on, you got to work on a token for Number Five. You half-expected him to not care about it, but you wanted to make one for him just in case. You were sure he wouldn't even bother to keep it on him, but you had to try. Even though you knew you wouldn't be able to feel it through time-travel if he left again, you still felt like you had to do something. You never wanted to experience the helplessness you’d felt after he first disappeared again. 

You spent a couple of hours there in your bedroom, pulling on any pieces of metal you could do without to start forming the token. By the time your phone rang, you had something that you could easily sense with your powers and had a simple '5' raised on one side. You wanted to do more to it, but you made yourself take a break to take the phone call. 

"Yeah?" You kept most of your focus on the token, knowing it was useless if you couldn’t recognize it from a distance. 

"I need you to come pick me up from the station in a couple of hours." 

You groaned at the sound of Diego's voice on the other end. "You got arrested again?" This wouldn’t be the first time you had received this call from him. 

"It's not like it was what I was aiming for, okay? There was a shootout at Griddy's last night. I had to check it out." 

"You're lucky I care about you," you told him, listening to him laugh on the other end. "Fine. I'll be there in two hours," you informed him before you put the phone back in its cradle. 

You forced yourself to get dressed after that. You planned on dropping by the mansion in the meantime and continuing your search for the journal. It would be a bonus if Five was there so you could hand over the token and let him do what he wanted with it. Although, you were secretly hoping that you could carry it around with you for a little longer, since it would give you the opportunity to really study it. 

When you got there, you found Klaus muttering to himself and digging through cabinets in his underwear. You were used to seeing him without most of his clothes by now, so you weren't really brought short by that, but you were by the urgency of his movements. 

He didn't even notice you were in the room until Pogo appeared beside you and cleared his throat. 

You watched in amusement as Klaus whirled around, a hand to his chest in shock. You studied him as he tried to act nonchalant about his actions, leaning against the back of the couch in front of him. It wasn't until Pogo asked about the whereabouts of an ornate box with pearl inlay that you started to really pay attention to the conversation. You recognized the expression on Klaus' face immediately. He was definitely guilty of taking the box. If Pogo was looking for it, though, then it must be really important. There were so many useless trinkets in the house that it figured Klaus would take the one thing that held a matter of significance. 

Once Pogo mentioned that it held several important items and documents your mind took off in a dozen different directions about the possible contents of the box. 

"Sorry," Klaus said, his attention briefly brought to the couch cushion to his right as you circled to stand next to him. "Drop dead," he told the seemingly empty space there. "Would you shut up?" 

"Excuse me?" Pogo asked, clearly confused by Klaus' responses, but you weren't. 

You reached out to smack him on the back of the head. 

"Ow! What the hell, Y/N?" 

"Don't talk to Ben that way. He's been through enough as it is," you admonished him, ignoring his wide, startled eyes. It was at that moment that you finally put two and two together about the box and what Pogo was obviously searching for. You felt your breath catch at the fear that you were right. 

"How did you know?" Klaus whispered to you, but you couldn't answer him. 

You glanced at Pogo, already dreading the answer to the question you were going to ask. "The box had the journal, right? The one with his initials on it? The one he wrote everything down in?" 

Pogo dipped his head in answer, studying you over the rim of his glasses. 

"Damn it, Klaus," you groaned. You slumped against the back of the couch, knowing that your search just became even more problematic. 

"What?" He asked defensively. 

"I needed that journal!" You turned to look at him, shaking your head. 

"And why, may I ask, did you need it, Miss Y/N?" Pogo inquired, his gaze still trained on you. 

"Because!" You were shouting now, but you didn't care. "I need to know that it meant something! All those times he ignored us in favor of writing in that journal or spent his time making us compete against each other or torturing us into using our powers. It had to mean something. We couldn't have just been his science experiment!" You were panting and on the verge of hyperventilating now. You felt your chest tighten and your hands began to shake. "We were just kids," you choked out, aware that Klaus was tentatively reaching out to you. "If it meant nothing and all that time he spent treating us as less than human and certainly not like his children was for nothing, then why bother with any of it? Why fuck us all up like this?" There were tears in your eyes now and you were trying in vain to keep them from falling. You were slowly losing control of your power and could feel the metal items in the room beginning to vibrate, as if preparing to launch themselves towards you. 

"Hey, hey," Klaus tried to soothe you, but you pushed away from him. You weren’t really mad at him. You just felt hopeless at the thought of never getting your hands on that journal. If Klaus couldn’t remember where he left it, then you might never find out any of the mysteries Hargreeves had kept to himself over the years. 

"Just find it," you begged. "Please, Klaus, I need it," you pleaded with him before you left the room in search of something to distract you from the panic that was threatening to overtake you. 

You found yourself wandering around the house, trying to figure out your next course of action. You still had at least an hour before you were going to leave to pick up Diego. Was it even worth it to keep looking for the stupid journal? You considered helping Klaus search for it, but knowing him, he would go off on about fifty different tangents before beginning the search. You didn’t have time for that right now. 

You wound up standing in the hallway of your old childhood bedroom. You used your power to continuously run over the coin you had made for Five as if it was a worry stone. You spent the time studying it and adding more grooves and carving the words ‘Number Five’ into the unblemished side. You kept your eyes focused on your old bedroom door, the coin turning in the air at your side as you contemplated the idea of searching the city’s pawn shops for the box. You weren't sure how long you had stayed there, staring at the door of your former room, but not daring to enter, when Five found you. 

"Ah, Y/N, I was looking for you." 

You weren't sure if he noticed the worry and fear you were carrying, but it was enough to give Five pause. 

"Are you okay?" 

You shrugged your shoulders, trying to force your face to smooth out into a blank expression. "It doesn't matter. What do you need from me?" 

You recognized the look of resolve on his face. He had a plan and for whatever reason, he meant for you to play a part in it. 

He handed over a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it. You couldn’t help but feel amused that after all these years, you still recognized Five’s handwriting. "I need you to be there at about three this afternoon." 

You studied the address, but didn't immediately recognize it. "Fine," you agreed, reaching out to snatch the coin you had kept flipping over and over in the air beside you the whole time. "This is for you," you told him, dropping the token in his palm when he held out his hand. 

"What is this?" He flipped the coin over, his brow furrowed as he considered it. 

"When you disappeared, I made one for each of the others. It was so I could find them if I was in range." 

"Huh," he mused, watching the coin when you briefly reached out with your power to make it hover about an inch above his palm. "Not bad," he told you with a smirk. You watched as he grabbed the coin and put it in his pocket. He moved to leave, but before he left the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and Y/N?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Make sure to have a twenty on you when you show up," he added before he left your line of sight. 

You closed your eyes, reaching out with your power, and tracked the movement of the coin. You could feel the '5' you had raised on the surface, but on the other side, you sensed the engraving of 'Number Five' you managed to finish right before Five showed up. You kept your power focused on the coin until you knew Five was in his bedroom. 

After that, you didn't see much sense in waiting around to leave the house, so you took off for the police station a little early. 

When you got there, you were directed towards Detective Patch's desk. "They're expecting you," the receptionist at the front told you. 

You really didn't like the sound of that, but you still made yourself navigate the bullpen until you found Detective Patch sitting at her desk with Diego in the chair beside it. You felt unsure as you got closer. You knew that Patch and Diego had been a thing a few years ago when Diego was still trying to become an officer. You knew they were close at one time, but now as you watched the smirk on his face and the way she was leaning towards him in her seat, you couldn't help but wonder if they were still close. 

You felt jealous and stupid, because it wasn't like there was anything going on between you and Diego now. He had shut that down years ago when you were still teenagers and you weren't about to make yourself out to be an idiot for a second time in that respect. 

Diego's gaze jumped up to you and Patch turned to see you standing just a couple of feet away. "Oh, there you are," she said. "Good." She stood and grabbed an empty chair from the neighboring desk, pulling it over until it was situated in front of hers so you could be part of whatever conversation was going on. She gestured for you to sit down before she got settled back in her chair. You dropped down into the seat, using your power to feel over the metal screws in the wood and running it lightly over the pens on the desk. It was a nervous habit, but feeling out for the metal around you usually left you feeling settled enough to focus. 

"So, I was just telling Diego that I want to put a stop to what you two have been doing," Patch informed you, fixing you and Diego with a serious look. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," you immediately denied, even though you knew there was only one thing she could be talking about. 

Diego winked at you, an amused expression on his face. 

"This whole vigilante thing you two have going. It stops now," she insisted. 

"Oh, come on, Eudora. You should try it sometime. It'll be good to be out from under all that bureaucracy." 

"It's not about that," she snapped. "There's a way to do things and the way you two like to put on your masks and play superhero isn't it. If it happens again, I won't hesitate to arrest you both." She gave you a look at that, as if worried you weren’t taking her seriously. 

You shrugged your shoulders, forcing yourself to lean back in your seat. "Again, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a writer," you offered with a grin. Patch had never caught you in the act of helping Diego, so as far as you were concerned, you weren't really in any trouble. You had never been arrested and if Diego told her about your involvement, then there was no real way to prove it. 

Your ease with the situation turned out to be temporary, though. 

Diego leaned forward in his seat. "Look, you should join me out there sometime," he told Patch. "I promise you won’t have to wear the mask," he added with a smirk. 

You felt yourself freeze at that. Of course you weren't special to him. You had convinced yourself, in some tiny part of your mind, that maybe he let you go with him because you were unique to him. The fact that he was asking Patch to come along on his missions burned in a way you didn't want to face right now. 

You pretended to check your watch and look dismayed. "Oh, is that the time? I have to get going." You stood up, gesturing towards Diego. "Is he free to go, Patch?" 

She watched you for a few seconds, most likely trying to figure out where you were in a rush to get to, before she nodded her head. "Get him out of here." 

You walked away from the desk, not even bothering to make sure that Diego was following you. Once outside, you walked over to your car, climbing into the driver's seat and waiting for Diego to open the passenger side door. You had a little bit of time until you were supposed to meet Five at the address written on the scrap of paper that was now resting in your pocket, but you were suddenly in a rush to get rid of Diego. You couldn't help but wonder if he still had feelings for Patch. You remembered the way he used to light up when he would talk about her. You hated knowing that she had accomplished something you would probably never get to do. 

"Where to?" You asked once Diego had buckled himself in. 

"What's wrong?" Diego was staring at you, fixing you with the look that meant he was trying to pick apart just what was making you tick in that moment. 

"Nothing," you denied. You couldn’t look at him. You were worried that if you made eye contact with him right now, then he would know exactly what was bothering you. 

"Well, hey, you want to go get something for lunch? As a thank you for busting my ass out of there again?" 

You had hardly done anything besides pick him up, but you knew he was trying to get you to open up to him. "Can't," you dismissed, starting your car. "I've got to do something for Five." 

Diego snorted at that. "Kid comes back for one day and he already has you running errands for him." 

"You know I stopped questioning Five's motives a long time ago." He usually knew what he was talking about, although you were starting to wonder if his solitude in the future had gotten to him in more ways than one. “Besides,” you added, “Five is hardly a kid. Mentally, he’s older than all of us.” 

Diego chose not to comment on that and reached across the space between you to rest a hand on your forearm. "Seriously," he said. "What's bothering you?" 

"I said nothing," you reiterated. "You should stop getting arrested, though. Next time I'll just leave your ass there." 

"Patch would just release me anyways," he told you. He seemed to notice the way you tensed at that, even though you were trying not to give anything away. "She's a good friend," he added softly and it was so stupid how that one word loosened the tension you were carrying in your shoulders. 

You shrugged, driving in the direction of the Fighting Lion. You figured that taking Diego home was the best course of action at this point. 

You were glad for the silence that took over after that. Once you pulled up outside of the boxing ring, you were able to offer Diego a small, genuine smile. If he wanted to rekindle his relationship with Patch, then that was none of your business. You had resolved to just be happy that you were someone he trusted and cared about enough to hang out with every week. You knew that he didn’t bother to really keep in touch with any of the other Academy members. If Hargreeves were still alive, then he would have happily gone years without seeing any of the others. The fact that he kept you around had to mean something, right? Even if he didn’t want to be with you the way you craved, then what he could give you would have to be enough. 

“I’ll see you later?” Diego turned after he climbed out of the passenger side until he was leaning down into your car.   
You nodded your head. “The way the past couple of days have been going, I’m sure you’ll see me real soon.” 

He grinned at that and stood up, tapping his hand on the roof of your car before shutting the door. You watched him walk up to the front door of the boxing ring before you pulled away from the curb. 

As you were driving to the address Five had given you, you couldn't help but run the fact that he had called Patch a friend in your mind over and over. You wondered if that was all she was to him now. You needed to crush the stupid hope building within you at the fact that you might have a chance with Diego after all, because otherwise you would obsess over it and you had other things to think about. Besides, weren’t you just trying to convince yourself that you didn’t have a chance? You knew you were too close to giving yourself emotional whiplash. Maybe it was best if you put all thoughts of Diego away for now. 

Thankfully, when you got to Meritech Prosthetics and found Klaus and Number Five outside, your thoughts were derailed from thinking about Diego. 

You got out of your car and walked up to the pair where they were sitting on the front steps of the building. You stood there for a few seconds, taking in the scene before you and wondering just what the hell you had missed. Maybe you should have asked someone else to pick up Diego so that you could have helped out. 

You weren't sure why Klaus was wearing a suit or why there was blood dripping down his face. You noticed that Five also had a split lip. "Okay, what the hell is going on?" You didn't give either one time to try to give an explanation. You pointed at Klaus. "Is that one of the old man's suits? You look really weird in that. You should take it off." 

You neglected to add that he also looked incredibly attractive in a suit. Hell, he looked attractive in everything and he always knew it too. You told yourself that if you were shelving all thoughts of romance and Diego, then maybe you should do the same with Klaus. 

"Well, okay," Klaus agreed with a smirk before he moved to start taking off the suit jacket. 

"Not now!" Both you and Five shouted at the same time. 

"Make up your mind," Klaus groaned, a grin on his face as he looked up at you. 

You rolled your eyes, moving until you were sitting beside him. You started picking glitter and confetti stars out of his hair, ignoring the look of exasperation on Five's face. "I don't think I even want to know what the hell you two were up to just now. Is this glass?" You frowned as you pulled a piece of what was definitely glass out of Klaus’ hair. The blood was starting to make a bit more sense now. 

"Probably for the best," Klaus muttered, allowing you to fuss over him. 

"The apocalypse is coming," Five said, a tone of disappointment in his voice that would have rivaled Hargreeves' when Klaus asked him about the twenty dollars Five apparently owed him. 

You listened to them bicker back and forth until Five mentioned a woman named Delores. Your mind had been stuck on the word 'apocalypse,' however, so you couldn't help but wonder what kind of apocalypse he was talking about. Nuclear war? Zombies? Super volcano? You weren't sure, but before you had a chance to ask, Five had already disappeared. 

"Hey!" Klaus was shouting at the taxi that was driving away with Five in the backseat. "What about my money!?" 

You stood up and pulled the twenty dollars Five requested you bring out of the front pocket of your jeans. "He's good," you said with a shake of your head as you handed over the cash. "Even though he did use my money to bribe you." 

Klaus' face lit up at the sight of the money. He threw an arm around your shoulders. "And on that note," he added, "I also need a ride." 

"I wouldn't expect anything else," you told him as you started leading him away from the building and towards your car. 

Later that night, you were back at the mansion. You needed to speak to Five about the apocalypse that was apparently about to happen and you had way too many questions that were without answers for the moment. You were sure Five could at least answer some of them. 

You decided to wait in his room, but were brought up short by Allison talking to Luther about something. The expression on her face had you freezing with one foot on the stairs leading towards Five’s room. 

"What's going on?" 

Allison focused on you for a brief moment before she shared a look with Luther. She looked disturbed by something and you couldn't help but wonder what else had gone wrong now. 

"I was just telling Luther I had something to show him. I think you should see it too," she amended. She beckoned for you to follow her and began to lead you and Luther upstairs. 

As you turned at the landing near the front of the house, Five came stomping up the stairs. He was sweaty and appeared disgruntled. All three of you stopped to watch him. 

"Five?" Allison asked. "Are you okay?" She reached out to touch his arm, but he quickly stepped out of her range. 

"It doesn't matter," he seethed. "It's useless. You're all useless." 

He took off in the direction of his room and you turned to look at Allison. "I'm going to figure out what that was all about, but tell me about your thing later?" You didn't even wait for her to answer before you took off after Five, subconsciously following the movement of the coin you had given him earlier. You were a bit surprised to realize that he still had it on him. By the time you made it to his room, he was already inside. His door was halfway open, though, so you hoped he wouldn’t be too upset that you were there. 

"Hey," you said, knocking on the frame of his bedroom door. "Tell me what's going on." 

"Get out," he snarled. You were just now noticing the duffel bag he had been carrying. He was slowly pulling out the top half of a mannequin and setting it on the chair near his window. You decided to ignore that for now, because you were sure that if you asked, then he would try even harder to get you to leave him alone. 

You rolled your eyes and moved further into his room. "No," you disagreed, sitting down on the edge of his bed. You noticed a newspaper had been shoved under his pillow and you reached out to tug it towards yourself. It looked old and yellowed with age. "Tell me about this apocalypse," you managed to get out, your focus turning completely to the headline of the newspaper. 

Five groaned and turned to look at you, but immediately froze when he realized what you were looking at. "Wait," he tried to stop you. 

"Or," you continued, "you could tell me what the fuck this is about." You turned to stare at him with wide eyes, holding up the newspaper so that he couldn't mistake what you meant. 

The newspaper was dated a week into the future. You weren’t sure how that was even possible, but that wasn’t the most pressing issue for you at the moment. It was the front page of the newspaper that had momentarily derailed any questions you had about the impending apocalypse. 

The headline read: 'Number Eight, The Magnet, Found Murdered in Apartment. The death of the former superhero turned best-selling novelist comes just days after the death of her father.' 

Five offered you a sheepish expression before he moved to grab the paper from you. "I can explain." 

Your mind was still reeling over the fact that you were apparently about to be murdered within the next week and Five had known the whole time he had been back. "Yes," you found yourself saying. "I think you'd better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic should be updated on Mondays or Tuesdays. I already have a rough draft of chapter three written, so I should be posting the next chapter in a week. :)


	3. It's Got To Be the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon violence in this chapter. 
> 
> Each chapter title is a lyric from a song used in the episode that the chapter is based on.

When Vanya first released her tell-all book, you were furious. It was a swift, shocked anger fueled by hurt that took only a few hours to die down. You wondered why she never told you what she was doing. You wanted to know why she neglected to tell you whenever you met her for coffee that she was working on a book to reveal everyone's secrets. 

You had finished it in a day. It left you feeling empty for the rest of the week. Reading that you guys were only a family in name, but not in fact, had cut you deep in a way you didn't understand. Sure, you hated Hargreeves. You appreciated Mom. You would have died for any of the others, though. Even Luther, who you fought with more than anything or Allison who you were never close to in the way you had grown up thinking you were supposed to be. But the others? Klaus was your best friend and always would be. You had tried to be there for Vanya more than any of the others. Diego was literally your partner in crime when it came to your occasional vigilante lifestyle. You understood Five in ways the others didn't and Ben had always been the sweetheart of the family. You would have done anything for the others and for Vanya to put it out there for the world to see that you were all practically strangers to each other had you questioning everything. 

She was right about everyone drifting apart after Ben. She was right that Hargreeves was an asshole and should have treated her better. She was even right to say that all of you were damaged by your upbringings. But there were other gems in the book that had brought you short. The chapter she spent talking about you was surprisingly brief. She did mention that you were the only one she actually kept in touch with, but that she suspected it was out of guilt more than anything that you made any effort to know her at all. That had stung. 

The next time you met her for coffee, you had slammed your copy of the book down on the table in front of her, not caring about any attention you might be attracting. 

"I'm here because I love you, you asshole," you had hissed at her. 

Before she could say anything, you had turned and ordered your usual drink. 

"You don't hate me?" Her voice was quiet and soft, as if worried if she spoke any louder, she'd provoke you into attacking her. 

"No," you assured her. "Pissed that you made it seem like I hang out with you out of pity, but not hate. If I pitied you, Vanya, then I wouldn't be here. You would get a Christmas card every year and a phone call on your birthday. Not a coffee date or my presence in your life." 

"Oh," she whispered. 

"And if you had just talked to me about that, then I could have put your mind at ease." You grabbed the book and held it up. "Now everything else? I understand that. I know the others didn't really play with you and Hargreeves ignored you more often than not. I _understand_. But the others won't," you told her as the waitress placed your cup of coffee in front of you. "But you're always welcome to call me if they give you shit for it." 

She managed a smile at that. "Thanks," she told you. 

Later, when you had gone by Diego's and seen the back cover of the book with Vanya's author photo secured to the punching bag he kept in his room, you had tugged it down. 

"Why'd you do that?" Diego looked like he was only seconds away from snatching it away from you. 

"Because it's not fair," you told him. "Let her have this. She didn't get anything else when we were kids." 

Diego had glared at you and while that visit had been kept short, you were happy to notice he never did put the book cover back. 

Now, you were sitting on the edge of Five's bed, waiting for him to explain everything. You thought back to the Vanya that had written that book. She was tired and fed up of feeling like her siblings were more important than her. She wanted some kind of recognition. You wished that you had been there for her more. If you died, then who would be there for her or Klaus or Diego when he got arrested? Although, you guessed there wouldn't be much to be there for once the world ended. Really, they would only be without your presence for about a day. 

There was so much going through your mind that you were having trouble keeping track of your thoughts. You were going to die soon. Someone was going to murder you. The world was going to end. You hoped that Five had the answers, because right now, your head was spinning with way too many possibilities of what could and would go wrong. 

"So what happened?" You broke the silence, since Five was just standing there and staring at the mannequin. You wondered for a moment if he forgot that you were there. 

He settled you with a look, as if he was disappointed that you even had to ask. "When I disappeared, I went to the future. I couldn't control the jump. The old man was right," Five said with a rueful shake of his head. 

"I know that, Five. You told us that. But you failed to mention everything else besides how shitty it was. You never said you jumped right into the end of the world. What was it like?" You imagined burning buildings and dead people everywhere. Ruined cities and desolate landscapes. You shivered at the thought of Five having to experience that. Especially if he arrived there as a teenager. You couldn't even imagine what that must have done to him at such a young age. 

"It was shitty. It was the end of the world. Everyone was dead. What more do you need to know?" Five shrugged his shoulders like that was the end of it. You knew he was trying to dismiss you, but you weren’t going to fall for it. 

"Everyone?" You couldn't help but ask. "They weren't zombies, right? I can deal with a lot, but I draw the line at the walking dead." 

Five scowled at you. "What? No. Zombies aren't real." He scrunched up his face in distaste as if he couldn't believe he had to tell you that. "And yes," he continued. "Everyone was dead. You had been dead for at least a day by the time I got there. I'm not so sure about the others. I found Luther, Diego, Allison, and Klaus. The Academy was gone." You noticed the haunted expression on his face. You knew he was probably remembering when he found them. You didn't want him to have to relive that, but you were trying to stop it all from happening in the first place. 

"Wait a minute," you said. "Just them? Not Vanya? Pogo? Mom?" 

Five shook his head. He had the look on his face that told you he was mildly disappointed by the questions you were asking, but this was important to you. You didn't even want to linger on the thought of Diego or Klaus dead within the next week. Even the idea of Luther or Allison no longer being alive was too much for you. To think of the people you had grown up with and loved for your whole life gone in just a few days made your chest clench with anxiety. If you made yourself think about it for too long, then you would send yourself into a panic attack and you apparently didn't have time for that. 

Five frowned at your words, but then turned to stare at the mannequin again. "No, but I'm sure they were all dead too. I never saw anyone else. I was there for years and never found another soul." 

"Must have been lonely," you mused. You hated the idea that Five was all alone in the future. Sure, he liked to act like he didn't need anyone, but you knew he needed _someone_. Everyone needed someone at some point in their lives. 

"I had Delores," he gestured towards the mannequin. 

You weren't sure what to do with that, so you raised your hand in a wave. "Hey, Delores." Maybe being all alone during the apocalypse had gotten to Five in more ways than one. Although, you figured if you were stuck all alone in a hellscape with no one for company but a mannequin, then you would probably make friends with it as well. It was probably better than talking to yourself all the time. At least he probably felt as if he was talking to someone instead of just himself. 

Five stared at Delores and you were almost blown away by the sheer love and devotion on his face. 

You decided to change the subject and gestured towards the newspaper still clutched in his hand. "What's that all about? Where did it come from?" 

Five sighed and moved to sit down beside you on the edge of his bed. "I found it when I ended up in the future. It was one of the only clues I did find. I brought it with me everywhere, because if I made it back, I didn't want to forget it. I know there has to be a way to save you and stop the apocalypse." 

You considered that for a moment. You wondered what other clues he did manage to find in the future. "It's more important to stop the apocalypse," you mentioned. It wasn't like your death could really hold up against the entire world. If it came down to it, and you _had_ to die for the good of humanity or whatever, then you knew you would go through with it. You had grown up with a man who told you time and time again that you had to save people and be a superhero. If your death could mean that billions of others happened to live, then what was more heroic than that? Although, you really couldn't see how your death would be instrumental to anything involving the apocalypse. You were one person with one power. The others had powers that were just as useful as yours. You had enough faith in them to know that they were capable of saving the world without you. 

Five shook his head. "I fought to get back here to save you all. Not just some of you." He met your gaze. "I'm going to figure it out." 

You shrugged your shoulders, already trying to make some semblance of a plan in your mind about how to stop the apocalypse. You found it was near impossible with next to no details. "My death might be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, though." You really couldn't believe the words coming out of your mouth now. A week ago, you were just a writer and former member of a superhero team. You saw Klaus practically every day, Diego once a week, and Vanya once or twice a month. You were broken and hurt by a man who was supposed to be your father, the disappearance of one brother, and the death of another. You let yourself get lost in worlds you created as a way to heal, but it never really worked out like you wanted it to. 

Now, Five was back, the world was ending, and you were supposed to die right before it went up in flames. 

You reached out to grab the newspaper again and skimmed the article. There was a detail that jumped at you and you wondered why you didn't notice it before. "Wait," you said. "This says I was stabbed. How the hell would that even happen? I could have blocked a knife." 

Five huffed in irritation. "Unless the person knew about your power." 

"According to this headline, everyone would know about my power." Anyone who read Vanya's book would know about your power. But wouldn't it have saved you? You thought about the times when you weren't able to use your ability. There was one time when you were younger and had the flu. Hargreeves had still tried to make you train, even when Mom was trying to get you back into bed. You hadn't been able to move much of anything or even focus long enough to use your power. You also definitely didn't use your power when you were asleep. You couldn't help but think of Klaus. Klaus was perpetually high just to avoid being haunted by screaming ghosts. "Maybe someone drugged me," you found yourself saying. 

"It's possible." Five took the paper back and moved to tuck it safely under his pillow. "Maybe the knife isn't made of metal. Maybe it isn’t even a knife," he commented. "I've been considering that for a while." 

"This doesn't make sense," you muttered. 

"Don't you think I get that?" He stood so that he had a height advantage on you. As if looming over you would give him the feeling of authority he needed in that moment. "I've read that article countless times over the past forty-five years trying to make sense of it. Someone gets the drop on you. That's the only explanation." 

You thought about the implications of that. You were going to have to watch your back at every move. "We can't tell the others," you decided. 

Five raised an eyebrow at that. "Why not?" 

"Because we need them to focus on stopping the apocalypse. Let me worry about my own murder. The others don't need to know." 

Five sighed at that. "They'll hate you for that. They'll hate me if you die and they find out that I knew about it." 

You shrugged your shoulders. "It's one life compared to billions of others. It's not that difficult to make the choice." 

Five fixed you with a look at that before sitting down beside you again. "We'll figure it out. But I won't tell the others." 

"Thanks, Five," you said and bumped shoulders with him. He rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded a lot like 'children' under his breath. 

The truth was that you knew that if any of the others learned about your impending murder, then they would be tempted to focus on that and not the fact that _everyone_ was about to die. Over the years, you knew that the others had a terrible habit of focusing on the smaller picture and never the bigger one. You would just have to be prepared. That meant not letting anyone get the drop on you. If someone knocked you out or found a way to drug you, then you wouldn't be able to use your power to save yourself. 

You were brought out of your thoughts by the sound of Klaus rapping his knuckles on the wall beside Five's door. "Hey, you two. What's going on?" 

You hastily made sure that the newspaper was still hidden under Five's pillow. "Nothing," you denied, trying to act nonchalant. 

Klaus studied you for a moment. You were aware that he knew you were up to something, but he wasn't going to ask you about it now. "Yeah, sure," he acquiesced. "Hey, I'm going back to your place. You going to join me?" 

You shook your head. "See if Diego can give you a lift?" 

Klaus waved a hand, already starting to walk away. "Yeah, yeah." 

"Pathetic," Five muttered once Klaus was gone. 

"What?" You weren’t aware that you had done anything to warrant that comment. 

"You're still carrying that torch after all these years. You know he'll never feel the same." 

"Shut up, Five." You reached out to shove Five off the bed, because it was the only thing you could think to do in that moment. "Now what else are you hiding from me? We've only got a week and I want to know everything." 

Hours later, you were still struggling to understand the information Five gave you. A glass eye was supposed to be the key to unlocking the mystery of the end of the world. Did the person whose eye Luther had been gripping belong to the person that killed you? How could one person be responsible for the apocalypse? There were so many missing pieces and you felt hopeless. But Five seemed so sure that he could fix everything, so you agreed to help him in whatever way you could. 

Once you were done talking with Five about the apocalypse, you felt emotionally drained and you didn't quite feel like making yourself go all the way back to your apartment. You could have slept in your old bedroom, but you elected to sleep on one of the couches in the living room. You figured no one would bother you there and once you woke up the next morning, you were glad to see that you were right. 

You walked into the kitchen that morning to see Allison and Luther sitting at the table. They each had a plate with eggs and bacon in front of them. You snatched the piece of bacon off of Luther's plate, ignoring his protests. You sat down in the chair at the head of the table. "So what's going on?" 

"Did you sleep here?" Allison asked. 

"Yeah," you told her, wondering if it was really all that big of a deal. "I got caught up in a conversation with Five and I was too tired to drive back home. What about it?" 

She shook her head, an amused look on her face. "It's just weird. Usually you can't wait to get out of here." 

You shrugged your shoulders. "It's not that weird." 

"Look, can we get back to what we were talking about?" Luther seemed impatient and he was still glaring at you for stealing his food. 

"And that was?" You raised an eyebrow at the pair, wondering what secrets they were keeping now. Although, you really couldn't talk. You were keeping a couple of secrets hidden from them for now as well. 

They told you it was hard to explain and that they needed to get the others together before they really talked about it. You held up your hands at that. "Sure. Makes sense." If they didn't want to tell you about it now, then you figured you would find out about it all later. 

You stood and made for the back door. You had planned on going home to take a shower and change your clothes, but you were stopped by the sight of Klaus digging through the dumpster down the alleyway. You approached him, wondering what he seemed so desperate to find. You heard him mumbling something and by the time you were close enough to knock on the side of the dumpster, you figured out what he was searching for in the trash. 

"You threw the journal in there, didn't you?" 

"Shit!" Klaus popped up, staring at you with a startled expression. "When the hell did you get there?" 

"Not that long ago. I was sure Ben would tell you I was here." You gestured to the space around him, not quite sure where Ben was at the moment. 

"He never tells me anything," Klaus muttered, rolling his eyes. "We need to talk about that by the way." 

"Do we? Or do you need to get back to searching for the journal?" You raised an eyebrow at him, pointedly looking at where he was clutching an old banana peel to his chest. 

He grimaced and dropped it. "Are you mad at me?" 

You shook your head. "No. I just want to find that journal. And since you're the one who put it in there and I don't feel like dumpster diving right now, I'm going to leave that task in your hands." You grinned at him. Truth be told, you had momentarily forgotten about the journal in the face of the apocalypse. If you were going to die, though, then you still wanted your answers. Besides, Hargreeves was so shifty that for all you knew the secrets he was hiding in those pages related to the end of the world in some way. You wouldn’t put it past him to deliberately hide information that significant. 

It was then that you noticed Five climbing down the fire escape. 

Five rolled his eyes at the sight of you leaning against the dumpster and Klaus inside of it. 

"What are you looking for in there?" Five jumped down to the ground, the duffel bag across his back again. You figured he was taking Delores on a trip somewhere. You narrowed your eyes at him, wondering if he was sneaking off to find out more information without you. 

"Just something to get Pogo and Y/N off my back." Klaus glanced at you and reached out to ruffle your hair. 

"Ugh, seriously?" You rolled your eyes at him, swatting his hand away when he tried to place the banana peel on top of your head. 

"Are you sure you two are adults? Because you're not acting like it." You couldn’t help but think that only Five could perfect that expression of equal parts disgusted and fond. 

Klaus chose to ignore Five's words. "So, do you need any more help? I'm probably almost finished here. Ah, there it is!" Klaus shook his head, already diving down to pick something else up. He held up a half-eaten bagel and waved it at Five before taking a bite out of it. "Delicious," he said around the bite of food and you fought hard not to gag at the sight. You weren't sure why Klaus was keeping from Five the fact that he had stolen the box and everything in it, but you also knew that Klaus was drunk, so he probably wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment. 

Five shot you and Klaus a disappointed look before he started walking down the alley. "I'm done funding your drug habit," he told Klaus. You watched as Five walked over to a van that claimed to belong to Rocco & Family Plumbing. 

Klaus took offense to that, yelling that maybe he just wanted quality time with his brother. "Not you," he told the seemingly empty air beside him before he spat out the pieces of bagel in his mouth. 

"That's disgusting, Klaus. Even I draw the line at that," you said, holding up your hands before leaving Klaus alone. By then, Five had stolen the van and driven away, so you took that to mean he didn't want you to follow him. If you didn't catch up with him by the end of the day, then you resolved to find him. There were only so many days left to save the world. You couldn't really afford for him to go off and keep everything to himself. 

You walked back towards your car, but ran into Allison as she stepped outside. 

"Hey," she said. "So, I need to track down Vanya for a family meeting. Want to tag along?" 

"Sure," you found yourself agreeing. You rarely spent any quality time with Allison. Maybe this would be good for the both of you. 

Later, after one silent, awkward car ride, you and Allison had found Vanya and some guy talking. You already felt wary just from one look at the stranger. It wasn't like Vanya to really make friends and you couldn't help but feel apprehensive of anyone new in her life. Besides, there was something squirrelly and suspicious about him. You weren't sure what exactly was wrong with him, but if he was going to be around Vanya, then you would have to find out. 

"Oh, I know you," the guy apparently named Leonard said as he gestured towards Allison. "From that movie, right?" You watched him as he seemed to connect the dots between Allison's career and her days in the Umbrella Academy. "And you!" He turned to point at you. "You were in that too." He turned to Vanya then. "But not you, right?" 

"I was sort of the fifth Beatle of the family," Vanya mentioned with a sheepish expression. 

You listened to Allison tell Vanya that she was needed back at the house for a family meeting. All the while, you were watching Leonard. There was something about him that unsettled you and the longer you were in his presence, the more you wanted to grab Vanya by the arm and get her away from him. 

"Are you sure you want me there?" Vanya asked. 

"Of course we do," you told her, finally tearing your gaze away from Leonard. "It's a family meeting and you're family. You belong there." If Leonard noticed your earlier scrutiny, he chose not to acknowledge it. 

"It's about Mom," Allison added. 

That seemed to be the only information Vanya needed before agreeing to go back to the mansion with you and Allison. You listened to Leonard tell Vanya they would take a raincheck on dinner before he walked away. 

You saw the expression on Allison's face and she was clearly pleased that Vanya was getting some romance in her life. Either that, or she was fishing for information because she was suspicious of Leonard too. 

"He's just a friend," Vanya tried to tell her. 

"A creepy friend," you muttered. 

"What was that?" Vanya asked you. 

"Nothing," you denied. It wouldn't do to make Vanya feel like you were trying to turn her away from someone she considered a friend. 

"Maybe I'm just trying not to separate myself from everyone and everything," she told Allison. 

"I shouldn't have said that," Allison said. "I was just angry at Patrick and I took it out on you. I'm sorry," she told Vanya. "I know I'm not good at the whole sister thing," she looked at you and then back to Vanya. "But I want to be better at it." 

You shrugged your shoulders. "It's never too late," you assured her. 

She gave you a grin and Vanya nodded her head in agreement. 

Later, at the mansion, Allison and Luther showed the rest of you the video of Mom and Hargreeves right when Hargreeves died. You wondered why Five wasn't with the group, but you could only hope that he was working on the whole apocalypse angle. You should probably join him, but you weren't quite sure where he was at that moment. 

You listened to Diego dismiss the idea that Hargreeves was poisoned, since it didn't show up in the coroner's report. Of course, because they couldn't spend one minute together without fighting, this sparked a debate between Luther and Diego. Diego finally pointed out that the video showed Mom taking Hargreeves' monocle and not murdering him like Luther believed. 

"She was probably taking it to clean it," Diego reasoned. 

"Well then where is it?" Luther looked like he was only moments from tracking Mom down and grilling her until she fessed up. 

You glanced at Diego, noticing that he wasn't really meeting anyone's eyes. "I took it," he admitted. 

"What the hell, Diego?" Allison stood from where she had been leaning against the back of the couch. 

"Where is it now?" Luther asked. 

"I took it from her after the funeral and I threw it away," Diego said. "I knew you would think she'd killed him, but she didn't. She wouldn't," he stressed, sharing a look with you as if asking you to agree. 

The whole time, your attention had half been on the fact that Diego had been messing with one of his knives. Now, when Luther stepped forward and threatened him, Diego held it up towards him. Your fingers twitched with the urge to yank it away from him before he cut Luther, but you wanted to trust that Diego wouldn't go that far again. 

You listened to Vanya explain that Mom was meant to be a caretaker and protector. You couldn't help but think that there was no way that Mom would harm Hargreeves. She was eerily respectful of the man. You would have just as quickly believed that Pogo had done the deed. 

"We need to turn Grace off." Luther said, bringing your attention to him again. Of course Luther was already trying to distance himself from the woman he had considered his mother for the past thirty years. You glanced over at Diego, seeing the momentary shock and hurt on his face. Of anyone at the Academy, you knew how much Diego loved Mom. You knew that if Mom was shut down, then he would be devastated, whether he wanted to show it or not. 

Somehow, it came to a vote. Luther and Allison voted to shut down Mom. Diego, obviously, didn't want to. Vanya sided with Diego, even though he tried to say she didn't get a vote. After that, Diego turned to Klaus. You reached out to hit him when he referred to Klaus as 'stoner boy,' but were secretly glad that Diego wasn't going to try to dismiss Klaus too. You hated it when the others tried to discount Klaus. Sure, sometimes he seemed to go off on disconnected tangents, but if people just paid attention to him, then they would know what he was talking about. It seemed that while Hargreeves had spent most of your lives trying to get you to act as a team, all of the abuses he had put you and the others through had just guaranteed that you would never be able to be communicate with each other. 

Klaus barely had to consider it. He scowled at Luther. "I'm with Diego, because screw you. And if Ben were here, he'd agree with me." A few seconds later, he hissed at a spot just a couple of feet away from him. 

You rolled your eyes, but froze when everyone's eyes turned to you. "Obviously I don't want to shut her off," you said. "She's the closest thing any of us ever had to a functional parent." 

"So, it's decided then," Diego said, smirking in triumph. "Four to two." 

"Something like this deserves a full vote," Allison commented. "Five isn't here." 

"We would still win, even if he voted against us." 

"He should still know about this," you insisted. "He's a part of the family and he deserves a say." 

Diego looked annoyed at the idea that everyone decided to wait on Five when he knew he had clearly won. 

Everyone dispersed after that. You wandered back towards the hallway of bedrooms, tempted to look at your old room. You had been avoiding it, but you couldn’t help but feel curious now. 

You stood outside the door for a few moments, arguing with yourself about the merits of possibly opening the can of worms that would unleash many childhood memories for you. Maybe a trip down memory lane couldn’t hurt. Although, with the childhood you had suffered through, it was likely to cut deep. 

"Just do it," you whispered to yourself. You finally reached out to open the door, your senses reaching out towards any metal in the room. The first thing you noticed were the pieces of scrap metal you kept tucked under your bed. You remembered when you couldn't sleep, you would bring them out to float above you, trying to force them into making shapes so that maybe the next time Hargreeves locked you up, you would be quicker about achieving whatever task he set out for you. 

The frame of your bed was metal. You remembered the time when you were so angry that you had twisted it all up until it looked like a piece of abstract art instead of a frame to hold your mattress. At the time, you had barely restrained yourself from flinging it out the window. That was when Hargreeves had told you that you would get everyone else killed if you couldn't stop a bullet in its trajectory. He told you that if any of the team were to die, then it would be on you. Of course, just days after he told you that, Ben died. You had been so consumed by grief and guilt that you warped the metal of the bedframe without having to really think about it. It took you two months after that to fix it completely. 

There were the metal-tipped darts that went with the dartboard on your wall. You and Diego used to take turns with it, even though he had a perfectly decent dartboard in his own room. He would throw his knives and hope for a bullseye. You would throw the darts without even touching them. You remembered being so jealous that he was so much better with aim than you were. 

You found yourself standing in front of your old desk. Right in front of you was the journal you used to keep when you were younger. It was half-hidden beneath random pieces of paper. You couldn’t remember why you elected to keep it here and not take it with you once you left the Academy for good. 

It embarrassed you to think of all of the personal details your teenage self had written down on those pages. If any of the others read it, they would probably have enough material to make fun of you for the rest of your life. There was the crush on Klaus, which you had gone on about thoroughly. Not to mention your other crush on Diego and how dejected you felt once he finally tried to put a stop to your feelings when you were younger. There were the moments when you thought about up and running away. You also used to go into detail about just how much you hated Hargreeves and his training sessions. You longed to be normal, because you figured it you were, then maybe you would have a chance at happiness. Everything you had gone through during your teenage years was written out in excruciating detail. 

You weren't sure how long you lost reading about how alone you felt in the house. Looking back, you knew that you weren’t truly alone. It was just hard to notice that when Hargreeves had done his best to make you all feel like that in one way or another. You must have been there a couple of hours, but you were still flipping through the pages of the diary when you first heard the gunshots. 

"Shit," you hissed and stood from your bed, placing the journal back on your old desk. You raced to the door, peeking your head around the doorframe to see someone in what appeared to be a cartoonish pink mask with big black eyes and long ears holding a gun standing just outside Luther's room. 

"Shoot him!" You heard from the opposite end. 

You turned your head to see Diego fighting another person in a blue mask with large eyes and teeth. What the fuck was going on? 

You reached out with your power to focus on any metal the woman was wearing so that you could fling her back into Luther's room. You used what you assumed was a knife and her hold on the gun to move her. You didn't even take the time to see if that was enough to stop her before you dashed down the hall towards Diego and the man. The man brought his gun around, trying to use it on Diego, but you pushed it out of his grasp with your ability and sent it flying down the hallway. 

Diego glanced up to see you there. "Y/N! Look out!" 

You turned to see that the woman was back and had her gun aimed at you. You reached out to push her back yet again and then turned on the other man. He was still trying to get a good hit in with Diego, so you pushed as hard as you could with your power, focusing on the man’s belt buckle, and sent him flying down the hallway. Diego reached out and grabbed your hand. 

"Let's go!" 

You wanted to protest that you could do more, but using your power to forcefully move people always kind of left you feeling a bit drained. It was like the more energy you focused towards your ability, the worse it would make you feel. Still, with the adrenaline of the moment pouring through you, you were sure you'd be able to take care of the man and woman. You were sure that you could do more. 

Diego pulled you into the living room just as more gunfire started to rain down on the both of you. 

"Can you get them to stop?" 

"Just give me a minute!" You pulled on the guns again and heard the woman groan. You were sure you had just pushed hers up until it hit her, but you weren’t completely sure. The bullets stopped for a brief moment before they started up again. "Shit, don't let me die, okay?" 

Diego looked at you with wide eyes before you closed yours. You felt him pull you close, his arm over your back and forcing you to keep your head down so you wouldn't become a target. There was so much metal in the room that you had to focus on the two spots where you were sure the man and woman were standing. You reached out, tugging on any weapons they might have had on them and trying to get them to either crumple in on themselves or at least fly far enough away that they wouldn't become an issue. You knew that your power was affected by your moods, but the fear you were experiencing now was guaranteeing that you weren’t able to use it like you wanted to. You needed to calm down. 

You were having trouble focusing, though. It had been a long time since someone had gotten the drop on you. Usually when you were playing vigilante with Diego, you knew what the situation called for before even stepping foot in the room. Now, these two had broken into the house and taken you completely by surprise. You tried to tamp down on the anxiety and panic you felt building. If you made one wrong move or couldn't use your power correctly, then someone could die. All of Hargreeves' taunts from years ago came back to haunt you in that moment. 

As far as you knew, Luther, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya were still in the building. Diego was right next to you, shielding you as best as he could while you were trying to hone in on the weapons in the room. You didn't want anyone to die. You weren't going to let anyone die. 

"Come on, Y/N," Diego whispered in your ear. "You can do this." He squeezed your shoulder and tucked himself tighter against your body to offer a better sense of protection. 

Finally, you were able to get a good hold of the guns and wrenched them from the hands of the man and woman. It was a good thing too, because Luther and Allison showed up just then. Luther was fighting the woman, and Allison had decided to take on the man. Diego let go of you when the man put his hand around Allison's throat, immediately jumping to her rescue. 

"Let her go!" 

You felt shaky as you stood. You weren't sure why this was affecting you so badly, but you managed to make yourself join the fray. Allison and Diego were distracted by the woman, fleeing in a different direction. You wanted to go after them, but you didn't want to leave Luther alone with the other intruder. 

You tried to feel around for any more metal on the man, but either he had been relying entirely on his gun, or he somehow lost his other weapons. You focused on the metal belt buckle again and pulled the man away from Luther. Unfortunately, you yanked a little too hard and sent the man closer to you than you would have liked. 

"How are you doing that?" He asked, staring at you with awe and confusion. 

You didn't bother to answer, since you were sure he wasn't really asking. You took the opportunity to leap at him, getting in one good punch before the man sent you sprawling. You stared up at the ceiling of the living room in a daze, blinking to try to get past the sounds of fighting. It was eerily quiet for a few moments and you were barely aware of the other man passing into the living room. Where the hell had Luther gone? 

"Guys? Is everyone okay?" 

Shit. You'd forgotten about Vanya. You had landed just to the right of the doorway to the living room, so you could see when she peeked into the room. She spotted you and moved forward, but you shook your head, trying to warn her. You saw the man move just in time to reach out with your powers to stop the swing of the mace that the other man had managed to procure while you were out of it. 

"Duck!" You shouted at Vanya and were glad when she did. You used your power to fling the mace backwards, one of the spiked edges catching on the man's arm. 

He grunted and then backhanded Vanya, sending her into the coffee table. 

You watched as Luther attacked the man again and you pushed yourself to your feet, hurrying towards Vanya. "Are you okay?" 

She nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah. Go help Luther." 

You gave her a reassuring smile and then ran over to launch yourself at the man where he was trying his best to knock Luther out. You wrapped your arms around the man's neck, trying to cut off his oxygen. He threw himself back and knocked you down onto the floor. This time, you managed to hit your head. "Fuck," you hissed, your vision darkening long enough that by the time you could lift your head again, Luther was standing there and offering you his hand. 

"Where'd he go?" You asked, allowing him to help you to your feet. 

"He's gone," he said with a shake of his head. 

"Vanya," you said, rushing into the living room to check on her again. You were glad to see that she was still there, just shaken from being hit. You wondered where Diego and Allison were and if they were okay as you moved behind the bar, looking for something to stop the flow of blood from Vanya's head wound. 

By the time you made it back to her, there was a pull on your power that had you instinctively looking into the foyer to see the huge chandelier that used to hang there falling to the ground. Luther was standing under it and you pulled on it, trying to lessen the blow, but you weren't fast enough. 

You stared in shock as Luther stood up, his shirt ripping away from him. You thought Luther had just bulked up an insane amount, but as you watched his arms, chest, and abdomen being revealed, you realized it was something far different from anything you could have imagined. He looked like he was part ape now and you couldn't even wrap your head around it quick enough to stop him from storming off. 

Allison was the first to move. She gravitated towards Vanya, a hand tentatively reaching up to touch the edge of the cut on her forehead. "Are you okay?" 

Vanya nodded her head. "Did you know about Luther?" 

Allison shook her head, her glance sliding towards you. "Did you?" 

"I don't think any of us knew. Do you think that's why he was on the Moon? Did Hargreeves do that to him?" 

Allison shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I apparently don't know a lot of things." 

You felt the adrenaline wearing off. You weren't used to using your powers so much in such a short span of time. You could use them on drawn-out tasks, like making the token for Five, with little problem. You remembered after you twisted your bed frame into an unrecognizable shape, you had taken a five-hour nap on your floor. Moving people with your power and worrying about the safety of your loved ones in a high-risk situation was usually enough to wear you out. Not to mention combat and trying to constantly be aware of the metal in the room. It was taking its toll on you. You swayed a bit on your feet and made yourself sit down on the couch, your head in your hands. 

Vanya sat down beside you, her hand reaching out to slowly rub up and down your back in an attempt to comfort you. 

"Who were those guys?" Vanya asked. 

You were barely aware of Diego's knives as they came into the room. You were so used to feeling them with your powers that it barely took any thought or energy. His knives and the coins were the easiest items for you to sense and that was only if they were within your range. You couldn’t help but think that you really needed to work on your range in the next few days if you were going to be any help at all in helping Five stop the end of the world. The idea felt impossible, though, since Hargreeves had spent years pushing you to be better. If you didn’t achieve it in the first eighteen years of your life, then how would you accomplish that in the next few days? 

You tracked the movement of the knives until you were sure that Diego was sitting down on the couch opposite the one you and Vanya were on. You opened your eyes and flinched when you noticed Allison sitting on the coffee table in front of you. Just how out of it were you? 

"I'm not sure," Allison responded to Vanya’s question. "I think they were looking for Five, though. We're just lucky to be alive." 

You wondered if Five knew that he was in trouble. You resolved to track him down once the room stopped spinning. 

"What are you still doing here?" Diego asked Vanya. 

"She's family," Allison argued. "She belongs here." 

"No, what she is is a liability. She could have been killed. Or she could have gotten one of us killed." 

"She's not a liability," you snapped at Diego. You were so tired and the last thing you wanted to hear right now was someone else in the family alienate Vanya. "Maybe you should give her boxing lessons, Diego. Then she could defend herself and you wouldn't have to worry about her." 

Diego scoffed and rolled his eyes at that, not even bothering to offer a reply. 

"I think what he's trying to say is that it's just too dangerous." Allison was trying to reason with Vanya, but it wasn't going to work. You knew that Vanya just wanted to feel like she was a part of the group. Leaving her out of this, no matter how dangerous it was, wouldn't help. 

"Oh come on," you started, but Vanya held a hand up. 

"You know what? It's late and I'm tired. I'm just going to go." 

"Vanya, wait!" You moved to stand up and follow her, but she turned to look at you, an expression on her face that silently begged you to let her go. 

You grimaced and sat back down, allowing yourself to lean against the back of the couch. You were exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. You tipped your head back, staring at the ceiling of the living room and lost yourself to thoughts of the fight and the two masked intruders. Who the hell were they? Why did they want Five? Did this have to do with the apocalypse? You weren't sure at what point you did drift off, but when you woke up, the sun was shining and there was a blanket draped over you. 

You squinted up at the ceiling of the living room. Your neck was killing you and felt stiff as you made yourself sit up. You slowly reached out with your powers. Something was off and you weren't sure why you felt that overwhelming urge to get up and do something. You reached out through the house, focusing on each coin. Luther's was still in his bedroom, from what you could tell. Allison's had never moved from where she kept it in the top drawer of her vanity. Diego's wouldn't have been there to begin with, but you could just as easily tell that him and his knives weren't in the mansion. Five's wasn't in the house either. Vanya had left the night before, so you knew she wouldn’t be there. 

You quickly sat up when you realized where your mind was trying to take you. Klaus had been in the house last night when the two intruders had attacked. From what you could tell, Klaus and his coin were no longer in the house. You hadn't heard from him at all during or after the fight. 

You found yourself scrambling off the couch and taking off in the direction of Klaus' bedroom. When he wasn't there, you searched the house, trying to find him. 

"Fuck," you hissed, hoping you were wrong but knowing without a doubt that you were right. Either Klaus was holed up in your apartment, had made a run for it during the fighting, or something had happened to him. Either way, you knew you wouldn't be able to rest until you made sure that he was safe and sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sick right now and I've been dealing with depression, so I'm posting this a bit early. It also means I'm behind schedule with writing chapter four, so I might be a bit late with an update next week. 
> 
> Next chapter will primarily focus on Eight looking for Klaus. So, I've got to figure out what I'm keeping from canon and what I'm adding in of my own. Hopefully that won't take me too long, since I know what I want to happen in chapter five. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, bookmarked, or left kudos for this fic. It means so much to me and keeps me going. ♥


	4. Reluctant Renegade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Diego is kind of a jackass in this chapter, but he'll get better. Also, there's a tiny bit of violence in this chapter.

When you were twenty-three, you developed a habit of locking yourself up in your apartment for days for the sole purpose of writing. Most of the time you'd forget to eat or drink anything that wasn't coffee. You found peace in sitting at your kitchen table or desk with a notebook in front of you and plotting out characters and story lines. You lost yourself to the possibilities of fantasy worlds where monsters reigned or ordinary people defeated all odds to save everyone from an evil force. To be fair, most of the monsters or evil forces were badly veiled metaphors for Hargreeves and you were sure he knew what you were doing. 

All in all, you wanted to create stories that everyone could love and relate to, but you also ended up putting enough of yourself and your life into the pages to settle all of the raging thoughts that plagued you of your childhood. In most of your stories, there was usually a team. There was usually a leader who always thought they knew best when they probably didn't and usually fucked things up. There was always the one who wanted to be a leader, but was a bit too much of a hothead to really accomplish it. There was always the one who was most popular and confident. There was always the one that people generally saw as the fuck-up, but actually had a hand in saving the day. There was always the grumpy badass and the sweetheart and the one who thought that they couldn't save the day at all, but were usually instrumental in some way. And then there was the character you related to most. The one who just wanted everyone to get along and was more used to being rejected than fully accepted. Maybe you should have been more careful about how much of your life you put into the pages, but you couldn't help it. It was better than therapy for you, since you didn't have to deal with someone sitting across from you, getting paid by the hour, and trying to direct your feelings. In the worst-case scenario with your experience going to therapy, the therapist spent the whole hour asking about your run as a childhood superhero, which just made you feel like that was all they cared about. You didn't just want to be a former member of the Umbrella Academy. You wanted to be known for something else. You guessed that was why you turned to writing. 

Usually, Klaus would come by and sit on your couch, providing enough of a distraction that you remembered to actually eat something, because you were forever taking care of Klaus and wanted to make sure he ate something too. Sometimes he would give his opinions on what you were writing or just do his best to distract you altogether. 

If enough time passed and he hadn't heard from you, then Diego would drop by and bring you takeout from your favorite Chinese restaurant. You always enjoyed the moments with just the two of you sitting at your kitchen table while he flipped through your notes and offered his thoughts. Other times, you couldn't be pulled away from your typewriter for long enough to even realize someone was knocking on your front door. Diego knew how to break into anything and it was a skill he taught you when you were both fourteen, so it was always a shock to take a brief glance up from where your fingers were working over the keys of your typewriter to see him standing right in front of you. 

He would smirk and gesture towards his knives. "Didn't you sense me coming?" 

And of course, you probably should have, but writing was really the only task that absorbed all of your attention. 

There were other moments when you couldn't write even if your life depended on it. You hated writer's block with every fiber of your being. Once you depended on churning out books for a living, it was more than a little stressful to realize that if you didn't meet a deadline or have a certain amount of pages ready to proof, then you could very well screw up your career. You couldn't help but wonder if one writer's block would be enough to end it all if you never returned to writing and the thought was enough to stress you out so much that you couldn't focus on any of your ideas no matter how hard you tried. 

It was during one of those moments that you found yourself talking to Klaus in your apartment. He was sprawled out over your couch and you were sitting in the armchair by your window. You felt like your typewriter was mocking you from all the way over on the kitchen table and you had your power running relentlessly over all of the metal items in the room. The one your power kept coming back to, however, was the metal coin you could sense from where it must have been tucked into Klaus' jacket. 

"Why do you keep that thing on you?" You tugged on the coin until it was hovering in front of you. 

Klaus squawked in mock-outrage. He sat up and grabbed the coin back from where you had been considering it. "Because I know that if I ever get my ass into trouble, you'll be there to get me out of it." 

You couldn't help but feel skeptical about that. "You have a lot of faith in my ability if you think I'll be able to do that. If you walked down the street right now, I wouldn't be able to sense you once you turned the corner. You know that." 

Klaus shrugged his shoulders and offered you an enigmatic grin. "I know you'll find a way." 

Now, you were standing outside of the Academy, staring all around and trying to get your bearings. You told yourself that everything would be okay. You just had to force yourself to focus. You had a car. You could take that car and drive back to your apartment. You could check to see if Klaus was there. Maybe he slipped out of the house before the intruders even got there. That could have happened, right? He could be on your couch, searching your apartment for money, or raiding your fridge for food. You hoped that was what he was up to, because anything else was enough to create a panic that you weren't ready to face. 

You felt helpless at the thought that Klaus had been kidnapped. You couldn't even imagine what they might have been doing to him. You couldn't stomach the thought of Klaus being hurt. He had already been through so much in his life. You knew that he usually took whatever someone threw his way, but he shouldn't have to. A lot of your hate for Hargreeves stemmed from the torture that he used to put Klaus through. He was in no way a caregiver or guardian, because you knew he locked Klaus in a tomb for hours at a time in order to get him to confront his fear of the dead. The first time it happened you tried to fight him on it, begging with the old man to get him to let Klaus go. You told him that you would help Klaus in whatever way you could as long as he didn’t have to go through the torture Hargreeves designed for him. Of course, Hargreeves ignored you and the second time it happened, he took to locking you up at the same time in the name of training your power. 

You had hated that you couldn't be there for Klaus like you wanted to. You hated that Hargreeves had caused more harm than good. You hated that you and the others had to grow up in a household that was more detrimental for your mental health than anything else. You hated that all of you were fucked up in your own ways. You just really hated a lot about Hargreeves and your childhood. 

You forced yourself to walk to your car and get into the driver's seat. You just knew that something bad had happened, but you still had a little bit of hope that Klaus would be sleeping on your couch once you got to your apartment. By the time you pulled up outside your building, you knew he wasn't there. You couldn't feel his coin at all, but on the off chance that he dropped it somewhere, you still made yourself go upstairs to check your apartment. 

By the time you searched your home and Klaus was nowhere to be found, you couldn't help but feel a bit panicked. What were you supposed to do? Where else would he go? Was he somehow sleeping in an alley somewhere? You remembered one time when he got so high he slept outside of a supermarket until they opened their doors, because he was so hungry and couldn't concentrate on anything else. 

You tried to find his usual haunts. You doubted he went into rehab. He always told you before he decided to check himself in anywhere. You stood at the mouth of the alley where you knew his usual dealer stayed and didn't see him. You reached out with your powers over and over, but anything within your range didn't pick up on the token you made for Klaus. You found yourself standing on the sidewalk outside of a convenience store, pushing your powers as far as they would go to try to pick up on anything that would remind you of Klaus. After ten minutes of standing there, your eyes closed and fists clenched at your sides, you had to admit that he probably wasn't anywhere in the area. 

You decided to go back to the Academy. If you could get the others to help you find him, then maybe he would turn up soon. Two or three people searching for Klaus had to be better than one, right? You probably should have known better, though. 

When you got to the Academy, you found Luther in Five's bedroom. Pogo was standing by the bed and watching as Luther raided the room. 

"What are you doing?" You really weren't sure what Luther was hoping to achieve by going through things that Five had most likely not touched in years. You loved the guy, but he usually proved to not be the best at coming up with a plan. That probably explained why things went to shit a lot of the time when Luther was at the helm. 

He turned to glance at you, but quickly went back to rifling through Five's things. "Five is missing and those guys from last night wanted him. He needs to be warned that he's in danger." 

You knew that Five was most likely fine. Five had always been capable of literally disappearing before shit hit the fan. It wasn't Five that you were worried about at the moment. You knew that Five was probably following up on information about the prosthetic eye or the apocalypse. If he hadn't come back to the mansion yet, then you figured he was following a trail. 

You thought back to the night before. The last time you had seen Luther, he was stomping away from you and the others. You weren’t sure what had transpired to make Luther into part ape, but you knew Hargreeves had to be involved somehow. “Hey, about last night.” 

Luther froze and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

You frowned at Luther’s back. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened, but I would have been there if you had called.” 

Luther sighed, his shoulders slumping in the way you knew meant he was probably already growing tired of this line of conversation. “If that were true, then I would have called you.” 

Okay, that kind of hurt. “I know we don’t get along all the time, but I do care about you.” You reached out to tentatively touch a hand to his shoulder, not sure of your welcome. When Luther didn’t immediately flinch away from the contact, you took that as your cue to change the subject. You and Luther had never had the sort of relationship where hugs and physical gestures of comfort were needed. Usually you just let him know that you had his back as long as he had yours. 

"Luther, there's something more pressing going on right now. Five can take care of himself. If he's not here, then it's for a reason." You were vaguely aware of Diego’s knives getting closer, so you figured you needed to start talking before you were interrupted. 

Luther straightened up to finally give you his full focus just as Diego appeared in the doorway. 

You automatically felt the tension rise in the room. You wondered if Luther and Diego would ever be able to put aside their differences and actually work together for once. As far as you knew, they weren't aware about the apocalypse. They weren't aware about a lot of the shit that was going on and you really didn't want to be the one to drop that bomb on them. If anything, Five was probably better equipped to deal with that conversation. 

Luther settled you and Diego with a look that you couldn't quite comprehend. "Do you know about Mom?" 

Diego nodded his head, but you had no idea what they were talking about. It seemed like every time you turned your back for one second something else managed to go wrong. Klaus was missing. Klaus was possibly being tortured. Hargreeves was dead. You were likely going to die soon. Everyone was going to die soon. Five was doing his best to prevent that from happening. There was a sketchy guy trying to hang out with Vanya. Two masked intruders broke into your childhood home and did a decent enough job of trying to kill all of you. And now there was something wrong with Mom? When would it all end? At this point, you were kind of looking forward to an apocalypse if it meant everything would just stop for a few moments so you could catch up. 

"What about her? Is she okay?" You dreaded asking the questions. Ignorance was supposed to be bliss, right? But you figured that at this point, you just had to know. 

Diego looked away, so it left it to Luther to tell you. He sighed and reached forward to put a hand on your shoulder as if returning your gesture from before. "Mom's gone. Those guys from last night got to her." 

You couldn't believe it. "She's dead?" It always seemed like Mom would outlive all of you. That should have been the case. The fact that the intruders from last night had been so brutal as to kill someone who most likely didn't attack them in the first place just made you hate them all the more. She was always such a kind and caring woman. What kind of asshole would mercilessly put her down like that? 

Luther pulled you into a hug and while it felt a bit awkward, you let yourself lean into it. You pulled away after a few seconds and gave Luther a half-smile. You glanced over at Diego, but he was still looking away. You wondered what that was about, but you didn't have time to ask. You had to let them know about Klaus. You opened your mouth to tell them, but Luther cut you off. 

"What are you doing here?" Luther asked as he turned to focus on Diego. 

"Looking for Five," Diego answered with a shrug of his shoulders. You couldn't help but feel exasperated by this point. They noticed when Five was missing, most likely by his own doing, but not when Klaus was kidnapped? Your head was starting to really hurt by this point and you weren't sure if all the aspirin in the world could touch the ache. 

"Let me guess. You're just looking to save the day." You could tell that Luther was starting to shut down into his leader persona. He was going to try to tell Diego that he was jealous because he wasn't the leader or some bullshit like that. 

This was not the time. 

"Guys, Klaus is missing," you tried to interrupt. You reached up to rub your temples, trying to stave off the pain you felt. 

Diego frowned at you. "What? How do you know?" 

"He's not here. I can't find him anywhere. I can't feel his coin anywhere. That means he's out of my range and that's somewhere he usually wouldn’t be." You looked from Diego to Luther, trying to get them to understand just how serious this situation was and why they needed to help you. 

Luther rolled his eyes. "He's probably passed out somewhere. The guy spends all of his free time high, Y/N." 

"But he was in the house last night when we were attacked! And now I can't find him. Don't you think they took him?" You hated that Luther found it so easy to dismiss your concerns. You turned to Diego, hoping that he would see sense. 

Diego shook his head. "He probably took off once he heard the gunshots. As much as it pains me to say it, Luther's probably right. Klaus has never liked combat in the first place. He probably got distracted and wandered off. I'm sure he'll end up at your apartment by the end of the day." 

"Are you serious?" You couldn't believe that Diego wasn't going to listen to you right now. Yes, Klaus spent a lot of his time on drugs, but that wasn't what defined him. It didn't mean that he wasn't worth saving. If Klaus had been kidnapped, then you knew he was going through withdrawal. You didn't want that for him. It would be painful and dangerous for him and you knew that he would start seeing ghosts again. You didn't want Klaus to be haunted anymore. He deserved better than that. 

"I have to find Five," Diego insisted. "Those two freaks in masks came to our house looking for him. They would have killed him, Y/N. Don't you think he needs to know he's in danger?” 

"Klaus is in danger too!" You were yelling now, but you didn't care. "Those two freaks, as you call them, most likely have him.” You tried to convey just how disappointed you were with Diego in that moment. “After all of the times I've dropped whatever I was doing to run and help you play vigilante, you're seriously not going to help me now?" You were so frustrated and angry that you could feel each of Diego's knives starting to shake where they were strapped to him. Your headache was only getting worse and you were moments from losing it. Each second you spent arguing with Diego was another second that Klaus was possibly being hurt. You didn't want to waste time like this. 

"Look, it's not like I ever really needed your help, okay? And finding Five is more important." Diego wouldn't meet your eyes. He probably knew that you were seconds away from slapping him for being such a jackass when you needed him most. 

"You have to be fucking kidding me. Five is doing what Five wants to do. He's out there searching for information. I know that. I also know that Klaus is in trouble right this very second and I'm asking for help with finding him. Who knows what they're doing to him? Think of what they did to Mom!" You gestured out towards the rest of the house, because you weren't quite sure where she was found. 

"I'm going to find Five. Klaus is probably high. Did you check your apartment?" Diego's tone was one you hated when it was directed towards you. He was trying to act like the leader and was outright dismissing the ideas that weren't ones he wanted to follow. It was rare that he treated you this way, but you knew that he was probably acting worse because Luther was in the room. There was something else going on with him and while you usually would have tried to get him to talk to you, you were equal parts pissed off with him and worried about what Klaus was going through. 

"Of course I did! He's not there or anywhere else." Diego should have known your apartment was the first place you would look outside of the Academy. 

"He's probably fine, Y/N. Finding Five has to take priority right now." Diego reached out to put a hand on your shoulder, but you brushed him off. 

"I can't believe you're doing this." You shook your head and tried to look anywhere but at Diego. This meant that your gaze landed on Luther. He looked practically gob smacked by the fight that was taking place in front of him. For just one second you thought about letting one of Diego's knives fly close enough to his face to wipe that expression away, but you stopped yourself from actually carrying through with it. You would have to keep your cool if you were going to find Klaus by yourself. It seemed that you were the only one who cared about making sure he was safe. 

"Are you sure you're just not clinging onto the fact that you're obviously still in love with the guy?" 

You turned to look at Diego, doing your best to try conceal the betrayal you felt at his words, but you weren’t sure you really succeeded. From the regret you could see in Diego’s eyes, you figured he felt at least a little bad for the comment. 

You couldn't believe this was happening. It felt like those words had just punched all of the breath from your chest. Your tenuous hold on Diego's knives dropped. If you didn't know better, you would think that Diego was actually jealous of your relationship with Klaus. But you did know better. His harsh words when you were sixteen proved to you that there was no way he could ever feel that way about you. He was just being a jackass and treating you like shit for no apparent reason. "You know what? Fuck you." You turned to point a finger at Luther. "And you." You turned to storm out of the room. "Not you, Pogo," you called over your shoulder. 

"Where are you going?" Diego yelled after you. 

"I'm going to find a way," you snapped. You were angry and hurt. Diego was usually one of the first to jump at saving one of you and the fact that he just wanted to believe that Klaus was getting high and not really in danger like you believed hurt. You always helped him when he needed it. The one time you needed his help with something and he couldn't even think about it? You knew Five was in danger, but Five was safe for the moment. You didn't think the same was true for Klaus. 

"Wow. That was really something." You heard Luther say as you took off down the stairs. 

"Shut the hell up," Diego hissed. 

You ignored the sound of Diego calling after you and stormed out of the mansion. You got into your car and sat there with your hands clenched tight around the steering wheel. Where to look? You supposed you could drive around town and try to sense the coin you had given him. That had to be better than doing nothing. 

After a couple of hours of trying to figure out where Klaus was, you felt like you were just going around in circles. You tried to work on your range, but you felt like you were useless. Hargreeves had been right all along. What was the point of having the power if you couldn't even use it properly or couldn't save someone you loved? If something happened to Klaus, then it would be your fault. 

You sat in your car and only barely resisted the urge to hit your head against the steering wheel. You settled for rubbing your hands over your face, reaching out with your senses once again. At this point, you would just settle for any of the coins. You weren't near the mansion, so if you could come across someone else, then maybe they would help you look for Klaus. The more time that passed and you didn't find him, the more worried you became. Where the hell was he? What were the two psychos from the night before doing to him? 

You were surprised when your senses picked up on one of the tokens just down the block. From what you could tell, it was Five's coin and Diego's knives that were calling to you. You sighed and got out of your car, following the pull of Five's token, since you were still pissed off with Diego. At least you knew that Five would be willing to at least consider helping you. He had come all this way just to save you and the others. It was worth a shot. 

You looked up at the building where you were sure Five was. Argyle Public Library. Why the hell was he here? What was Diego doing there? You figured Diego had accomplished his task of tracking down Five, but why the hell were they at the library? 

You didn't expect to find Luther and Diego standing over a passed out Five. You assumed Five had been the one to write formulas all over the walls surrounding him. Delores was clutched in Five’s arms and his head was tipped back against the wall. There was an empty bottle slowly rolling away from him and you stopped it with the tip of your shoe. 

"What the hell is going on?" 

Diego turned to look at you, but Luther bent down and tried gathering up Five's things. 

"Hey, be careful with Delores," you found yourself saying, striding forward to pick her up. You knew that Five would be upset if she was treated badly and you didn't want to piss him off now. "Is he drunk?" 

You couldn't help but feel restless as Luther bent to pick up Five and Diego grabbed his other things. You were aware that there was a group slowly gathering near you and if you took any longer to get Five out of there, then someone would probably call the police or CPS on all four of you. 

You smiled helplessly at one of the women who looked like she was seconds away from calling the authorities. “Kids, right?” You shrugged your shoulders and tried to act like this was just some kind of teenage rebellion instead of your family member having what appeared to be a crisis. It wasn’t like you could say, ‘Oh, it’s okay, he’s really fifty-eight.’ Five would end up in foster care, you would end up in some kind of mental health facility, and Diego and Luther would probably go to jail. No, the quicker you could get Five out from under the scrutiny of the growing crowd, then the less this would turn out to be some kind of spectacle. 

"Let's get out of here," Luther said. He led the way out of the library. You offered up your car for transportation, directing them towards where you had parked just down the street. Diego told you that it wasn't safe for Five at the house, so it would be better to drive to the Fighting Lion. 

You drove there mostly in silence. Diego kept leaning forward in his seat, as if he wanted to talk to you, but you refused to even glance at him. His comment before was way out of line. Yes, maybe you still had feelings for Klaus. But did it matter? Mostly you just wanted to make sure he was okay. You were fine with your feelings being unrequited as long as Klaus was safe and happy. You knew Klaus was rarely ever happy, so at this point, you would just settle for safe. 

The only time you actually said anything during the drive was when Luther asked how you knew where to find them. You concentrated just enough on Five's token to pull it out from the front pocket of his shorts. You held it up in front of Luther's face before you did your best to tuck it into the front pocket of Five's jacket. You weren't quite sure if you succeeded, since you were mostly focused on not crashing the car. 

"Think they're so useless now?" You asked Luther before you concentrated back on the road. You did use your ability to try to seek out Klaus' coin, which meant that your attention was still split, but since you had been doing that all day, it was becoming second nature to you by now to search for it. 

You stopped off just down the street from the Fighting Lion. You knew that Diego would want to take the entrance from the alleyway, so you hefted Delores out of the passenger seat, where you had let her sit instead of letting Diego stay up front. You knew he was aware of the fact that you were mad at him. Good. You'd let him sweat it out for a while before you forgave him. But if something happened to Klaus? Well, he was going to be waiting for a really long time. Although, you figured if you died in a few days, then you would never find the time to forgive him. Either you needed to let your anger go or you'd find a way to haunt him that didn't have to involve Klaus. You would love to come back as a ghost and just hide his knives in random places. That would really teach him a lesson. 

"You know what's funny?" You jumped at the sound of Five's voice coming from behind you. You turned to where Luther was carrying him bridal style down the alleyway, a scowl on his face. Five looked like he wanted to say more, but his mouth was shut for the moment, and he was slowly shaking his head back and forth. 

"I swear, Five, you better not throw up on me," Luther growled. 

"It's funny that I came all this way to stop the apocalypse and Y/N's murder and it's all just useless. Maybe there's just no stopping it. The world is going to go up in flames and it'll just be gone. Poof. No more. No more family. No more Academy. No more coffee or Delores." He frowned and looked around. "Where's Delores?" 

You froze, hoping that Diego and Luther were going to ignore Five's words about your impending murder, but you knew you had never been that lucky. Diego shot you a look and you heard Luther grunt something. You refused to respond, though. You could always play it off as Five being drunk. But they probably should know about the apocalypse. So, you would have to make it seem like the apocalypse was a very real danger you were all facing, but Five was somehow mixed up on the fact that you were going to die the day before it hit. Everything was getting so jumbled and mixed up that you weren't sure there was going to be much to salvage by the time to the world ended. You really didn't know what the hell you needed to do now, so you turned around and gently placed Delores in Five's arms. "Here you go," you told him. "Also, shut the fuck up," you hissed. 

Five squinted up at you before he nodded his head. "Oh, right. I was supposed to keep that a secret." 

"Look, Five," Luther started, shooting you a concerned look. "Two people came to the house last night looking for you. They were wearing masks and tried to kill all of us." 

"Hazel and Cha-Cha," Five mused, his head lolling back to look up at the night sky when you glanced at him. 

"You know who they are? Who are they?" Did Five lie about being all alone in the future? He never mentioned them when he was telling you about the apocalypse. 

Diego turned until he was standing just over Five. "What do they want, Five?" 

Five groaned and tucked Delores closer to his body. "Does it matter? They're idiots." 

"We just want to protect you," Diego tried to assure Five. 

Five scoffed at that, as if the whole idea was ridiculous. "Protection? I don't need protection. I've killed more people than you can count. I'll be fine." He hiccupped and gestured towards you, Diego, and Luther. "It's the rest of you that are screwed." He then turned his head and threw up over Luther's shoulder. 

You rolled your eyes at Luther's disgusted face and turned back around, walking with Diego towards the back entrance to the Fighting Lion. You kept trying to push your range outwards. You ignored the feel of Diego's knives and Five's token. You ignored the fact that you knew Luther was right there and had nothing to really tell you where he was. You just needed to find Klaus. If you found Klaus, then you could relax. He would be fine. You would find him before something bad happened to him. 

You were so focused that you didn't even realize that you were still standing in the alleyway. Everything else seemed to fall away. You were only concerned with Klaus' coin. If he always had it, then he must have had it when he was taken. If you could find the coin, then you could rescue Klaus. That was all you wanted. That was all that mattered. You reached out hoping to feel the grooves around the outer edge or the small dent in the metal near the '4.' You wanted your power to be able to trace over the 'Klaus' on the other side. You were imagining the coin over and over in your mind, calling back to when you were younger and spent all those hours studying it. You told yourself you would know that token anywhere. It was right there and you just had to push a little bit further to find it. 

It felt like there was a sudden rush through you and you swayed on your feet. All of your senses were pinging on a spot far away. You felt dizzy and relieved when you could faintly sense the token. There. It was there. It was across town. And it was moving. 

"Shit," you whispered. Now that you found it, it took all of your concentration not to lose it. "I have to go," you found yourself saying, opening your eyes only long enough to take off in the direction of your car. 

"Wait!" Diego yelled after you. He grabbed your arm and it was almost enough to make you lose the direction the coin was heading, but you just barely grabbed onto it. "What was he talking about earlier? About you dying?" 

You forced yourself to meet Diego's gaze. "I don't have time for this. I know where Klaus is, Diego. Let me go." You tried to shake your arm out of his grasp, but he seemed like he wanted to try to keep you there. "Please," you begged. "It's Klaus." 

Diego frowned at that, but he reluctantly let go of your arm. "Do you need help?" 

"No. Deal with Five," you told him, still a bit miffed that he had dismissed you earlier. "That's all you cared about, right?" 

You jogged down the alleyway and used your ability to open your car door. You got into your car and took off in the direction of Klaus' coin. It seemed like the coin had stopped moving, so you were closing in on its location. If it was moving before, then did that mean Klaus had escaped? 

You felt like you were in a daze as you headed in the direction of the token. You didn't even care that you were speeding or probably just barely avoiding running someone over. All that mattered to you was finding Klaus and making sure he was okay. 

The coin led you towards a blue automobile parked on the outskirts of town. The closer you got, the stronger you felt the connection to the coin. You were so relieved once you got to the vehicle, knowing that Klaus had to be there somewhere. Did he steal a car to get away? You parked just a few feet away and took off towards the car, hoping that you weren't about to make a complete and total idiot of yourself. For all you knew, he was being kept in the trunk. You probably should have taken the time to wonder why his coin was in a seemingly abandoned car, but you were just so relieved to find any hint that Klaus might be okay, that you weren’t taking the time to really think about the situation. You should have known better after years of playing vigilante and superhero. There was always more than what you assumed was going on. 

You paused just outside the car before you reached out to unlock the door. It was something you had learned to do with your powers and you had always been so thankful for the power that simply allowed you to open doors. 

You ducked your head into the vehicle, glancing all around. You didn't see Klaus. "Shit," you whispered to yourself. You did see the coin, however. It was resting in one of the cup holders. From where you were leaning into the car, you could make out one of the cartoon masks that one of the intruders had worn resting in the backseat. You reached out to snatch the coin out of the cup holder, intent on getting the hell out of there, but then there was a sharp pain at the back of your head. 

You collapsed onto the ground and groaned. You immediately tried to reach out with your powers, but you weren't sure why it seemed to slip off everything in that moment. You clutched your head, the headache from earlier magnifying to the point that were you were practically seeing stars. You squinted up at the sky. Or maybe those were actual stars. 

You were barely aware of the man and woman standing over you. The woman was still wearing her mask, but the man wasn’t. You remembered the mask in the backseat. 

The man gestured at you with the tip of his gun. "Who the hell is that?" He tilted his head to the side as he considered you and you knew it was probably only a matter of time before he recognized you. You remembered the shock in his voice when you had tugged him away from Luther during the fight the night before. 

You tried in vain to get your power to grab onto the gun and maybe put a stop to the duo once and for all, but you couldn’t focus. You just felt so tired. Maybe if you closed your eyes for just a second then you would be able to concentrate. 

"It's one of those freaks. Five's family. She's the one who took our guns and tossed us around. We should take care of her before she does it again." 

You tried to hurry up with your power. If only you could grab one of the guns and turn it on them. You could launch the knife the woman still had on her at them. You could do something besides just lie there and clutch your head. Was this how you died? At this point, you weren’t sure you’d be able to block her knife if she decided to stab you. Maybe this was how the newspaper article from the future came true. 

You had finally gotten your power to grip onto the woman's knife. You could stab her in the shoulder. You could distract them enough to get away. You could do something to save yourself, you thought, and then you could find Klaus. You were in the process of trying to drive the knife into her back, but before you could even pull it fully from where she had it tucked into a strap on her leg, she kicked you in the face and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for that cliffhanger! I've had parts of chapter five planned since before I even finished chapter one. And I just really wanted more reader interaction with Hazel and Cha-Cha. That will happen next chapter. 
> 
> Posting this chapter a bit early, because I'll be super busy this week. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has given this fic any kind of love. You all are the best. ♥ 
> 
> Also, it's my thought for this fic that Klaus still said that whole thing where Hazel and Cha-Cha kidnapped the wrong guy because no one would notice he was missing, even though he knew that the reader definitely would. And when they're going through his things and taking his drugs, they also find the coin and he freaks out just as much because he knows that's how reader would find him. At this point, I'm tempted to write missing scenes from the viewpoints of the others. It might happen. I'm also considering sticking close to the canon first season ending, because I want to play around with whatever season two gives us. I have so many thoughts for this fic that I have trouble keeping track of it all sometimes.


	5. Imagine Me and You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning in this chapter for violence. See end notes for additional warnings.

When you were eleven years old, you experienced for the first and only time what you thought it might be like to have a real father who actually cared about you. 

Like any kid at that age, you were restless and ready to see what was out there in the world. Hargreeves only took you out for missions or interviews. You only snuck out with the others. Usually, if you were getting up to any trouble, it was with Klaus by your side. There were the trips to Griddy's or the bowling alley. There were the times you and the others went to get breakfast from Petrola's, but at such a young age, trips to the bakery weren't common. You always had someone with you and you were curious. You wanted to know what it was like to be out there on your own. 

You decided to try it out just once. There would be no Luther to tell you what you should be doing. There would be no Diego with his knives that snagged on your senses with his every turn. There would be no Allison to talk about all of the things she could get with her power. There would be no Klaus to distract you. There would be no Five to tell you that you were being ridiculous. There would be no Ben to offer helpful comments if you got into trouble. And there would be no Vanya to tell you that maybe you shouldn't leave the house at all. You knew it probably wasn't safe. You knew it might be a bad idea. But you had to know. How else were you going to learn? 

You decided to sneak out in the middle of the night and go to the park just a few streets over. It was close enough that you knew how to get there by yourself and if you somehow got into trouble, then you could run all the way back. You didn't know why it seemed so important to you, but you couldn't help but feel like it would be the one thing to settle the restlessness you felt inside. Hargreeves told you that you had to save people and the world, but you were only a kid. Maybe you could start with an unsupervised trek to the park in the middle of the night and then see if you were ready to save people. 

So, once you knew what you wanted, you waited until everyone else was asleep and Hargreeves was locked up in his study. Mom was usually sitting and staring at the wall of paintings and Pogo was resting at that time of night, so you knew it would be easy to just go out the front door. Your heart felt like it was going to burst with the excitement and anticipation you felt. You were really going to break the rules. You were sneaking out all by yourself and no one would even know about it. You couldn't believe that you were going through with it. 

The second you were out of the Academy, you felt such a rush of daring. You took off running towards the park, ignoring the fact that even this late at night, there were still people out on the street. You made it to the park within a couple of minutes. You stopped just at the edge of the lot, staring all around. Streetlights had guided your way to the park, but there were only two lights in the area, and they barely did enough to help you see. There were swings and a jungle gym. There were picnic tables and sandboxes. You wanted to go and have fun, but it was so dark that you could barely see. Shadows were cast over everything and the more you tried to make out by squinting your eyes, the worse it seemed to get. You could reach out with your power and sense the metal items, but it didn't mean much if you couldn't distinguish one thing from another. 

You weren't sure why you didn't notice them at first, but there was a group of teenagers hanging out around the picnic tables. They sounded young enough to be in high school, but old enough that you were instantly intimidated by them. Never mind the fact that you had a superpower and were basically famous for something you couldn't control. These were _older kids_ and the only other kids you were used to seeing were the ones you happened to live with. You could just make out the ends of lit cigarettes and their quiet laughter. There was a bottle settled on the wooden tabletop next to one of the moving shadows and you wondered if they were drunk. 

"Hey!" One of them shouted at you. You could see a shadow start to walk towards you. You were sure that the metal you were picking up on the person was a knife or some kind of weapon. It was dark, you could barely see, and you felt like you were going to die. Even if it wasn't a knife, the person had metal on them, and that was enough to spook you. You didn't want to fight anyone right now. You realized with a fierce embarrassment that you were just a kid, it was nighttime, and you were alone. There was a stranger approaching you and you just wanted to go home. You didn't want to wait to see what they wanted. You took off running all the way back to the Academy. 

In your fear, you practically wrenched the gates open, crashing through the front door in a rush of breath. You fell to the floor of the foyer, barely noticing that you weren't alone. 

"Just what did you think you were doing, Number Eight?" 

You looked up to see Hargreeves standing over you and staring down at you with a disappointed expression. When you glanced around, you noticed the others were all standing there too. Mom looked relieved to see you and Pogo was watching you from the doorway of the living room. 

The others were still in their pajamas, but they were all wearing their jackets and shoes. 

"Answer me, Number Eight!" 

You flinched and stared up at Hargreeves with wide, frightened eyes. Everything had seemed so much sinister at night. You still were trying to shake off the terror you felt when one of those teenagers had started coming towards you. Now, you were in trouble and you felt like you might be about to cry. "I just wanted to see what it was like." 

Hargreeves frowned down at you before he shook his head. "I ask you not to scare your brothers and sisters like that again." The way Hargreeves said it, though, made you feel like he had been scared too. Did he actually care that you were gone? Had he been worried? You couldn't even fathom the thought. Hargreeves seemed so cold and clinical. He was strict and never showed you or the others any real affection. Was he hiding how he really felt about you and the others? 

Klaus rushed forward then to pull you into a hug. "Are you okay?" He started patting you down as if he was worried that you had been injured. 

You nodded your head, noticing that most of the others were already trailing back towards their rooms to go back to bed. "I'm fine," you managed to tell him. 

"Come on," Diego said, tugging on your arm until you started following him towards the bedrooms. He led you back towards your room and made you sit down on the edge of your bed. "What happened?" 

Klaus and Vanya were the only other ones there, so you told them all about your brief and terrifying adventure. Diego wasn't all that impressed, but Klaus sat beside you and held your hand while Vanya sat down in your desk chair. She reached out to touch your knee once you were done talking and offered you a small smile. "I'm glad you're okay." 

Diego nodded his head and squeezed your shoulder before he went off to bed. That night, Klaus and Vanya camped out in your room. You couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of care for them, because you knew they cared for you. Your upbringing was far from perfect, but you knew that you had them and the others. Surely that was all that you needed. 

Later, you found out that Mom had apparently wanted to check on all of the kids and noticed you were missing. She went to Hargreeves with the information and upon waking up the other kids, everyone searched for you around the mansion. When you were nowhere to be found, Hargreeves was going to get the others to go search for you around the neighborhood before you showed up. 

Diego told you that Hargreeves had actually seemed worried, but then you came crashing into the house, and there was no need to search for you. It was the one and only time you had ever considered that maybe Hargreeves actually cared about you and the others. That feeling was quickly erased once he started locking you and Klaus up to train you. 

Now, you were wondering if the others would realize you were missing again. Although, you figured that at the time, Hargreeves had been monitoring everything through his surveillance cameras. The only people who would know you had gone anywhere were Diego and Luther. You still didn't know where the hell Klaus had gotten to. You weren't sure where Allison or Vanya were at the moment. And the last time you saw Five, he was still drunk. Mom was dead and who even knew what the hell Pogo was doing half the time? You were well and truly on your own right now. 

The first thing you were really aware of once you started waking up was pain. Your head hurt. Your face hurt. Your body ached. Your wrists burned and your legs felt stiff. You had no idea what the hell was really going on. 

"She's waking up." It was a man’s voice, but you didn’t really recognize it. There was something slightly familiar about it, though. 

You groaned and opened your eyes, glancing around blearily. You were in a shitty motel room. Your wrists and legs were taped to a chair. You could barely think past the pounding in your head, but you finally noticed the man and woman considering you from just a few feet away. 

“Shit,” you muttered. You’d forgotten about going after Klaus for just a moment and how incredibly stupid you had been to not take Diego up on his offer for backup. You had let your pride get in the way and now you were in the middle of a kidnapping situation you probably could have avoided. 

You needed to use your power. You threw all of your concentration into finding the first metal item your power snagged on so that you could hurtle it at them. It seemed to fail you, though. You could barely feel anything at the moment. You wondered if you exhausted yourself searching for Klaus the day before. The first and only thing you were aware of was Klaus' coin where it was tucked into the front pocket of the woman's pants. Unless you tried to use it as a projectile and force it through their skulls, there wasn’t much you could do with it. 

"Where is he?" You grit your teeth against the pain in your head. "Where's Klaus?" He wasn't in the room. At least, you didn't see him. Maybe he really escaped after all. If he did, then that was all that mattered to you in that moment. You could deal with the two strangers in front of you as long as you knew that Klaus was safe again. 

"The junkie?" The woman took a step forward to regard you, her face concealed by that creepy pink mask. 

"He's not a junkie," you sneered. Your hand was outstretched now and you were trying to get the coin to come to you. Your eyes were focused on the huge, black eyes of the mask, though. You noticed that the mask was missing an ear, and thankfully your attention drifted towards that instead of the blank stare. 

"Then why did he have nothing but drugs on him?" The man asked. He wasn't wearing his mask, but you figured it was mostly because you had already seen him without it. Really, you didn't know why they were trying to protect their identities. You still had no idea who the hell they really were. 

"And this," the woman said, reaching into her pocket to show you the coin. You pulled it to you instantly, your fingers wrapping around it. You guessed that there was one good thing about being so focused on the coin the day before, because it felt like you didn't even have to use your power to pull it towards you once it was out in the open. 

The woman backhanded you, sending your head violently to the side. 

"We want information, but we're just going to have to keep knocking you out if you don't cooperate. If you so much as look at one of our guns, let alone look like you're about to turn it on us, then I won't hesitate to kill you." 

"I think there's a better way to do this," the man said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet. You recognized it since you usually saw Klaus wandering around with one. They were apparently going to drug you. You weren't sure how you felt about that, but you figured it was better than another hit to the head. The room was already spinning and you felt like you might throw up. If you were able to focus, you would have considered the fact that you probably had a concussion. 

"You think she won't be able to use her freak power on us if she's high?" 

The man shrugged his shoulders. He was frowning at you as he shook out a couple of the pills. "It's worth a shot." 

The woman sighed before she reached up to pull the mask off her head. "I guess there's no use for this," she muttered before she reached forward and tipped your head back. She put her thumb on the hinge of your jaw and forced your mouth open. She reached out with her other hand to pinch your nose shut. The man dropped the pills into your mouth and the woman closed it. "Now swallow," she demanded, not letting your face go until you were forced to swallow the drugs. Between the headache, the sting from her earlier hit, and the fact that you were exhausted, you knew that it wasn't going to be long before they hit your system. Not to mention the fact that you couldn't remember the last time you had bothered to eat or drink anything. You were well and truly fucked, because even without the drugs, you couldn't really use your power. Now it was guaranteed that you wouldn't be able to use it to save yourself. 

You remembered Five's words from the night before and you regarded the man and woman with narrowed eyes. He had mentioned the names of the two before you. You weren't sure how these two were connected to Five, but you were sure that you weren't going to like it. "So which one of you is Cha-Cha? Or Hazel?" 

The woman frowned at you. "How do you know our names?" 

You grinned up at her, glad that you were still clutching Klaus' coin in your hand, because it was the only thing keeping you grounded in that moment. "Because Five told me." 

"Where is Five? We need to find him and that junkie that likes to act like we're running a damn travel agency." 

You weren't sure if the drugs were already kicking in, because you were definitely confused. "What?" 

"That junkie took our briefcase and he treated himself to a roundtrip to 1968. We need to find him and get it back." The woman was leaning over you now, her finger in your face as if you were a kid and she was scolding you. 

"Briefcase?" You were definitely out of your element. "Like the kind people take to work?" 

You wanted to do something, but your mind was starting to feel hazy now. You couldn't really grasp onto one thought long enough to have it, much less use your power to get yourself out of this situation. The headache was slowly fading away now and everything just felt weightless. You rolled your head back and looked at the ceiling. 

"Tell us about the others," the woman said. She picked up a copy of Vanya's book from the TV stand. "What else should we know that's not in here?" 

"Oh boy," you chuckled. "So much." You shook your head, trying to focus. You felt weird without the tether of your power. How were you going to get out of here if you couldn't even feel any metal? "But you probably won't care about it." 

"There's the freak with the muscles and the one with the knives. I know the junkie can really conjure the dead," she told you as she tried to make eye contact with you. "I know what you can do based on the other night. But what else is there that this won't tell us? We need better access to that family compound of yours and better information. We need Five and you're going to help us get him." 

You rolled your eyes. "There's no way I'd ever help you two," you denied. 

“I just have to find your weak point,” the woman told you. “The junkie didn’t spill anything after hours of us beating him, but once we threatened his drugs, then he spilled everything he knew.” 

You flinched at the mention of them beating Klaus. Sure, his self-preservation instincts were a little skewed, but he should have known that none of you would be upset with him for trying to protect himself. Well, you thought, at least you wouldn’t have been mad at him for trying to avoid more pain. Diego or Luther probably would have told him to protect the family secrets at all costs. 

“Ah,” the woman said. “Is that your weak point? The junkie?” 

"I think you should focus on the one with the knives for now," the man interrupted from where he was peeking out of the window. He had his gun trained down towards the floor and you had a brief urge to reach out with your power and knock him out with it, but you could barely focus on keeping your eyes open, let alone using your ability. 

"Why is that?" The woman turned and asked the man. 

"He's hiding out in the parking lot right now." The guy grimaced and shook his head. "His car's behind an ice cream truck." 

"Shit," the woman hissed. She grabbed her gun and walked towards the door just as there was a knock on it. 

The man shook his head as he caught a glimpse of whoever was at the door. "Hotel clerk." 

The man walked over to grab your chair and turned it around until you were facing away from the door. You weren't sure what was going on and you probably should have started yelling, but all you could think about was the fact that Diego was there somewhere. You tried to concentrate enough to feel his knives, but your power kept slipping. If you closed your eyes, you could just barely sense them, but not enough to do anything about it. 

You heard the door open and shut and then the woman was walking back into your line of sight. "It's a note from Five. How the hell did he find us?" 

"He was one of us," the man mentioned with a shrug of his shoulders. "He knows protocol." 

Five was one of them? One of what? What the hell was going on? You squinted up at the woman. "You're Cha-Cha, right? You seem like a Cha-Cha." You didn't even know what the hell that was supposed to mean. "And Five is good, okay? Better than you two idiots." You grinned up at them, echoing Five's insult for the pair from the night before. 

"We're going to be late," the man, Hazel you presumed, said. "How are we going to get us and her out of here without that other one getting in the way?" 

"We should just leave her here at this point. Put a bullet between her eyes." Cha-Cha raised her gun as if she was really about to kill you. 

"Hey, that's not fair," you frowned up at the pair. Everything was kind of spinning now. You had trouble focusing on any one thing for too long, but you were sure that them killing you was a bad thing. It was too early, right? You probably weren't supposed to die yet. Besides, the article said you had been stabbed and not shot. 

Hazel shook his head. "We should take her with us. She's a bargaining chip. We can trade her for the briefcase. If Five knows that we have her, then there's no way he's going to give us the briefcase back without her. If we kill her, then he'll kill us." 

Cha-Cha rolled her eyes at that, but she bent down and started freeing you from the chair. "Ice bucket?" She glanced up to meet Hazel's eyes. 

He nodded and while she was distracted and your leg was free, you kicked up, catching her in the chin. 

"You bitch!" She spat, her hand going up to rub at her chin. "Drug her again," she told Hazel. 

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Hazel seemed hesitant. 

"If she's aware enough to try to make a run for it, then we have nothing to barter with," Cha-Cha reasoned. 

Hazel grimaced at the thought before he nodded and reached into his pocket again. This time, they made you swallow the last two pills in the bag and you suddenly hoped you didn't overdose. You didn't think that was a possibility, because surely they weren't going to kill you now, but anything could happen at this point. Besides, you had seen Klaus take way more than what they had given you and he usually made it out of that okay. 

After that, they worked on tying your wrists together with silver duct tape. They maneuvered you through the window in the restroom until you and Cha-Cha were standing on the ground. It seemed like one moment you were in the motel bathroom and the next you were somehow outside. Hazel mentioned grabbing the ice bucket and pretending to leave the room in search of ice before Cha-Cha took you to their car. She shoved you in the backseat and told you to stay down. Once you were stretched out across the backseat, though, you felt like you were going to throw up and you really didn't have the ability to tell her that you didn't feel like moving at all. Everything was hazy and blurring together, but you were sure you heard gunshots at one point and you thought the car might have been moving. The only thing you could really focus on was that you still had Klaus' coin in your hand, because you refused to loosen up your fist long enough for it to threaten to fall out of your grasp. 

You weren't sure how much time passed before the car came to a stop. You blinked up at the ceiling of the car. You heard Hazel and Cha-Cha get out before Hazel ducked into the backseat and grabbed your legs. He pulled you to the edge of the seat, helping you sit up, before he tugged on where your hands were still being held together with tape and made you stand up. You groaned and squinted all around, your headache coming back in full force from the sunlight that seemed to be all over the place. 

"What are you doing with her?" 

You looked up to see Five standing there near the woman. He was watching you. More specifically, he was watching where Hazel had his hand wrapped around your bicep, as if worried he was hurting you. Belatedly, you realized that you could just barely sense his coin. The fact that you recently made it helped your senses hone in on it. You were touched that he still had it on him. 

"Hey, Five," you grinned at him. "When did you get here?" You glanced around, worried about the spike of pain you felt in your head at the movement. “And where is here?” 

"Did you drug her?" Five hissed at the woman. Cha-Cha. You forgot her name was Cha-Cha. You wondered why she was named that. Was it something her parents did to her or did she choose it for herself? Maybe, you tried to tell yourself, that wasn't the most important thing to focus on. 

When you were able to focus a little more, you realized Luther was there too. He was further away and standing near the old family car. He was clutching a briefcase and watching the group of you with bewilderment. He kept shifting on his feet, as if he wanted to come forward and join the group, but he was unsure about that course of action. 

"Oh, hey," you said, trying your best to elbow Hazel. You weren't sure why, but he seemed like the nicer of the two. "I think that's your briefcase." You frowned at the group. "But there's no junkie. Although you shouldn't call him that," you told Cha-Cha. "That's not nice." You clutched the coin in your hand tighter, trying to think past the haze over your mind. It felt worse than being drunk. It felt like maybe the world wasn't real after all and everything was a surreal dream of some sort. 

You weren't sure of much that was going on, but you knew that Five was slowly inching closer to you. “Look, you want the briefcase and I want you to call your boss. You don’t want me to tell your boss that you royally screwed up? Fine. But we need to work together and I’m going to need something to prove that you’re willing to work with me.” Finally, he reached out to wrap his fingers around your wrist. "Let us take her and if you get me in touch with your boss, then I promise not to mention that you two lost your briefcase." 

Cha-Cha rolled her eyes and nodded. "Fine. Take her as a gesture of good will." You watched as she walked over towards a payphone and Hazel kept his gun trained on you and Five. Five walked you back over to Luther. He turned to look at you once you were leaning up against the old family car. 

"Did they hurt you?" Luther asked. He was keeping his attention on Hazel and Cha-Cha, but he was also turned towards you. "We thought you were missing, but we didn't know where you were." He sounded angry and you could see his shoulders tensing by the second. “We shouldn’t let them get away with this.” 

Five snorted and rolled his eyes at Luther. “Yeah? And what are you going to do? I need to speak to The Handler. I have to figure out a way to get us all of out of this mess and they’re the only way to do that.” He nodded over towards where Cha-Cha was still messing with the payphone and Hazel was still watching the three of you. 

Five studied you for a few seconds and reached out to touch the edge of your mouth. You flinched away from the contact, surprised by the sting of his touch. "What the hell, Five? That hurts." 

You remembered getting kicked in the face and Cha-Cha hitting you earlier. "I'm assuming they kept you drugged so you wouldn't use your powers." Five shook his head. "It's what I would have done." 

You nodded your head, tilting your head to the side. "What you would have done? You would have drugged me?" 

Five rolled his eyes and shook his head. He put his hands in his pockets and took out the coin you gave him. He started turning it over and over in his hand, which only served to distract you. What had you been talking about again? Was Five trying to distract you on purpose? "It's a long story I'm sure you'll hear about later." 

He ducked into the car and grabbed a knife from somewhere. He moved back until he could cut through the tape securing your wrists together. You groaned in relief once they were free, reaching with your empty hand to rub at the wrist of the hand that was still holding onto Klaus' coin. 

“Hey, Luther?” You weren’t sure why your mind was so focused on the coins now, but it seemed that once it snagged onto one train of thought, it was hard to get it to switch tracks. 

“Yeah?” He asked over his shoulder. 

“Why did you stop keeping your coin on you? And you stopped wearing metal. Was it because you hate me?” 

Luther turned to look at you with a shocked expression. “I don‘t hate you, Y/N. I guess I just didn‘t see a reason to keep the coin on me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, the only reason you’re hurt right now is because you were following Klaus’ coin. They’re a good idea, but at what cost?” 

You frowned at him. “You don’t have to be such an asshole about it.” 

He opened his mouth to protest, but Five shook his head. “We need to focus.” 

It was then that you realized that you could make out the faintest sound of music. If you really strained to hear, then you could have sworn it was the tune that an ice cream truck usually played. You remembered Hazel mentioning an ice cream truck earlier, but the memory had already slipped away from you. "Hey, do you guys hear that?" 

“Yeah,” Luther agreed. He frowned before he glanced down the road. "What the hell?" He straightened up from where he had been leaning against the car. 

"Who is that?" Five asked. 

It was then that you noticed the ice cream truck slowly making its way down the road towards you. It looked bright and cheery and you couldn’t help but wonder why it was all the way out here when there was no way it would find many customers. The group of you seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. You really weren't sure at this point if you were just high or if there really was an ice cream truck. Either one was equally possible. "You guys see it too, right?" 

As the truck passed you, you were surprised to see Klaus at the wheel. There was someone else hunched over in the passenger seat that you were sure was Diego. If you tried hard enough, you could just barely sense his knives again. How did they end up all the way out here in an ice cream truck? Why were they here? You had too many questions and you definitely were not aware enough to try to puzzle out any answers. At this point, you weren't really sure if anything was real. Maybe you were still in that hotel room with Hazel and Cha-Cha. Maybe this was just one huge delusion. Maybe Hazel and Cha-Cha had killed you after all and you were having a really fucked up trip to the afterlife. 

Klaus had his hand up in a wave as he passed the three of you and you watched as Luther confusedly waved back at Klaus. The pain in your head spiked again and you groaned. "Okay. Maybe not a dream," you found yourself muttering. 

It was then that Hazel and Cha-Cha started firing their guns at all of you. Normally, you would have tried to use your power, but all you could focus on was the bad taste in your mouth and the feeling that you were only seconds away from throwing up. You couldn’t help but think that maybe you had taken one too many hits to the head. 

Luther immediately moved to shield you and Five from the bullets as the ice cream truck crashed into Hazel and Cha-Cha's car, forcing them to throw themselves out of the way. Then it was like there was a weird skip, because suddenly Five wasn't standing beside you anymore. You glanced around, sure more than ever that you weren't even awake. "Five?" You knew he could disappear, but he never went very far when he jumped. He didn't seem to be in the area at all. 

It was then that you realized you were holding something familiar in the hand that had not been holding onto Klaus’ coin. It felt like Five’s coin, but that didn’t make sense. When you slowly uncurled your fingers, you were surprised to actually see Five’s coin there. Why would he leave it? What was that supposed to mean? You decided to stuff it into the front pocket of your pants, wanting to keep it safe until you saw him again. As far as you could tell and hope, it was a promise that he would be back. Maybe he just wanted you to keep it until then. Maybe he had gone somewhere where he knew you wouldn’t be able to sense him. 

Luther glanced behind him and then all around. "Where did he go?" When he didn’t see Five, he huffed out an irritated breath and then turned to regard Hazel and Cha-Cha. Hazel was going for his gun, but it seemed to have materialized out in the field surrounding the road. "Hey!" He held up the briefcase for Hazel and Cha-Cha to see. "Come and get it," he said before he flung it off to the side of the road. He glanced back over towards the ice cream truck and shook his head. "Stay there," he told you before he ran over to help Klaus get Diego out of the truck. 

You groaned and put your head in your hands, shaking it back and forth. Klaus’ coin was warm against your forehead where it was pressing into your skin. It felt like you were just floating along at this point. Nothing seemed real. What was real at this point? The past few days were more than you were used to and you felt like you were slipping. 

You could hear someone running towards you. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Klaus was suddenly standing in front of you. He was regarding you with concern, his hands reaching out to grip your shoulders. 

"Get her in the car," Diego said. He was ushering you and Klaus towards the back door of the car, his focus on Hazel and Cha-Cha. You felt more at ease once you could sense his knives and know he was really there. Sometimes when you were around Luther, it was like there was a void there. You couldn’t sense him unless you turned to actually see him. With Diego and Klaus, who always had something on them for you to reach out to, being around them was comforting. 

Klaus nodded and pushed you into the backseat, crawling until he was in the middle and Diego was beside him. It was cramped, but you figured you were trying to make a quick getaway. It wouldn't be long before Hazel and Cha-Cha got their guns back and you knew they had to be pissed. You were in no shape to stop any bullets, so the only sensible option was to run. 

Once Luther was in the front seat, you glanced all around. "Wait. We're forgetting Five." You frowned. Or maybe Five had already left. You suddenly remembered the coin in your pocket and wondered if it was a really bad thing that you were already forgetting something like that. 

"He disappeared," Luther reminded you, checking his rearview mirror as if to make sure. He started up the car and began to pull away from the side of the road. 

You were vaguely aware of Klaus turning in his seat to flip off Hazel and Cha-Cha through the back window. He turned around and then took your face in his hands, considering you. 

"How did you end up with them?" Diego grunted in pain and leaned forward in his seat to look at you. "Was it after you left last night? I went looking for you, but I only found your car." 

"Did they kidnap and torture you too?" Klaus' fingers were running gently over what you assumed must have been a bruise on your face. He looked worn out and exhausted. You couldn’t find any signs that Hazel and Cha-Cha had tortured him, though. They mentioned trying to beat information out of him. Surely he would have had some kind of physical remnant of that. 

You shook your head and then winced. It felt like your brain was just sloshing around in your head. "I was looking for you," you managed, cracking open an eye to look at Klaus. You didn't even realize you had closed your eyes at some point. Your head was hurting and you were barely restraining yourself from passing out. "They had this on them," you added, opening up your palm where you had been clutching the token you made for Klaus all those years ago. It felt like it had taken years just to give it back to him. "I thought you were still with them." 

A thousand expressions seemed to cross Klaus' face as he reached out to take the coin from you. He looked horrified and hurt and concerned and so many others that you couldn't distinguish them all. There was something different about him. He seemed melancholy. He looked like he lost something and just kept on losing everything. 

You frowned and reached out to cup his face in your palms, mirroring his earlier hold on you. "Why are you so sad? What happened? Was it them?" You glanced out the back window, but you were far enough away that you could no longer see Hazel or Cha-Cha. “I can’t really do much yet, but I’d kill them for hurting you. You know that, right?” 

He offered you a small smile and shook his head. "It wouldn’t help anything. Besides, it's a long story. I'll tell you later, okay?" He seemed sincere, so you were willing to let the subject go. You didn’t want to hurt him any more than he was already by bringing up painful memories. 

You slowly nodded your head and closed your eyes. "Later is good. My head hurts too much for words." 

“Shit,” Diego groaned. "Keep her awake, Klaus! She could have a concussion." You heard Diego shifting forward in his seat like he was going to do something to stop you from falling asleep. 

"Well, okay then," you heard Klaus say. 

"Not like that!" There was something pressing against your lips and when you opened your eyes, it was to see the back of Diego's hand separating your mouth from Klaus'. 

Klaus scrunched up his face and pulled back. "Well, it was either that or slapping her and I didn't want to do that to her! Giving her more injuries isn’t going to help her case, Diego!” 

Diego glared at Klaus before he pulled his hand away. "You okay, Y/N?" You frowned at him. He seemed sad too. You wondered if it had something to do with Mom being gone or if there was something else. It seemed like you missed a lot when you were being held captive by Hazel and Cha-Cha. 

"I'll manage," you croaked out. "I just really want to sleep off the drugs they gave me." You wanted a lot of things in that moment. You couldn’t even really process the fact that Klaus had just tried to keep you awake by kissing you. Although, you figured it would have been a big enough shock to probably keep your eyes open for a little bit longer. All in all, you wanted something to eat and drink. You wanted the comfort of your apartment and to just close your eyes and sleep until the apocalypse happened. You wanted to tell Diego that you might still have feelings for him. You wanted to appreciate the fact that you might be letting your feelings for Klaus go. You wanted a better relationship with Luther and Allison. You wanted to give Five a hug for once and tell him that it would all be okay. You wanted Ben to still be alive and Mom, because neither one of them deserved the cruel fate that had befallen them. You wanted to tell Vanya that Leonard was bad news and she should find someone who was more worthy of her. You wanted so much that you could barely stand it and all of it just made your headache worse. “Can I go to sleep?” You mumbled and pressed your head against the car window. 

"You can't," Diego said with a shake of his head. He nudged Klaus out of the way until Klaus had no choice but to climb into the front passenger seat. You heard him apologize to the seemingly empty seat before Diego was right there beside you. "You have to try to stay awake, okay?" 

You nodded and looked down to where he was clutching his arm. "What happened?" 

"Those psychos shot at him," Klaus said from the front seat. “But I saved him.” He was turned around in his seat and watching you and Diego. He winked at Diego before he focused on you. 

"Hey, wait," you said, suddenly remembering something. Hazel and Cha-Cha had mentioned something about Klaus going to 1968. You studied him for a few moments. Was that why he was so sad? What happened to him there? You were going to ask, but your mind snagged on something else that you just had to know in that moment. "So, tell me something, Luther." 

"What?" Luther barely glanced at you over his shoulder before he focused on the road again. 

"Is the Moon really made of cheese?" 

You heard Klaus start laughing from the front and Luther shook his head. 

Diego rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his seat. "She's still high." 

"I am not! And I'll tell you why." Except you never got around to telling them why you weren't high, even though you definitely were, because you passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hazel and Cha-Cha drug the reader in this chapter so that her powers can't be used against them. I figured this was a bit of a spoiler, so I put it in the end notes just in case.  
> I'm pretty sure you guys are going to hate me for what I have planned for 'The Day That Wasn't' chapter, so I wanted the end of this chapter to be a bit lighter. Next chapter will focus on Luther and the reader trying to mend their relationship. There will also be more Diego interaction and Klaus. 
> 
> Still struggling with the depression, especially after my family kind of tore me down, so I'm hoping this isn't terrible. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who leaves kudos, comments, bookmarks, or reads this fic. You guys are the best and I'm blown away by the love that this has been shown. ♥


	6. When That Moon Is Big and Bright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can't believe I hit 300 kudos on this story. When I woke up and saw that, I might have started singing 'Hey Look Ma, I Made It.' Thank you to everyone who has read this fic and shown it love. You guys are amazing. ♥

When you were sixteen years old, you decided to commit the bravest act of your entire life. It was foolish and would surely be dangerous, but you knew you had to do it. You decided to tell Diego that you were in love with him. 

You knew it was probably a foolhardy plan. Looking back as you got older, you could see that you were acting like a dumb, reckless teenager. At the time, you felt bold and brave. You felt like nothing could touch you. You were sixteen and in love and you wanted the object of your affections to know about it. In a house full of people, you ended up feeling lonely a lot of the time, and you knew that if you went through with your plan, it could potentially end in you not feeling so alone anymore. 

At the time, you were half-convinced you were in love with Klaus, sure, but you knew you were in love with Diego. You knew there was a softer side to him. He always tried to act like he was tough and above the situation, but you knew him in ways that the others really didn't. 

You loved how close he was to Mom. You knew that he struggled with stuttering and you wanted him to know more than anything that you were proud of him. You hated that he felt the need to constantly try to out best Luther, but you knew that he did it because he felt like he should be the leader. You loved everything about him. His sense of humor, the way he cared about everyone, even though he tried to hide it, and the way he smiled at you whenever you were training together. You wanted nothing more than to hold his hand and tell him that you would be there for him no matter what. You wanted him to look at you like you meant the world to him and kiss you. You wanted to go on a date with him and enjoy every stupid teenage cliché. At the end of it all, you just wanted Diego. 

So, you knew that if you were going to achieve any kind of peace of mind, then you were going to have to tell him how you felt. You were going to put all your cards on the table and let him do with them what he wanted. 

You waited until everyone else was busy and you knew that you wouldn't be interrupted. You weren't sure how it was going to go, but you were hopeful that he wouldn't completely crush you. Sure, you would have Klaus to lean on, but he was going through so much already that you didn't want to be a burden to him. You really hoped that this worked out. 

"Hey, Diego?" You knocked on the frame of his door. "Can I talk to you?" 

He glanced over at you from where he had been throwing knives at his dartboard. You tried not to get distracted as he threw another one and it hit the bullseye. 

"Sure," he said. He gestured for you to take a seat and you walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "What's going on?" 

You looked down at your hands, trying to ignore the urge to fidget. You were nervous, but you still needed to do this. It was the only way to know. 

"Is something wrong?" He was still standing as if he was going to keep throwing his knives, but you knew that you had his full attention. 

"No," you said with a shake of your head. "I just have something to tell you." 

He raised an eyebrow at that and gestured for you to go on. 

"Look, this isn't easy for me, okay? But I'm just going to come right out and say it." You took a deep breath and tried to gather up all of the courage that hadn't fled you in that moment. "I love you," you finally managed to get out. 

Diego was silent for a few moments. "I love you too," he said. "You know that. You're one of my favorite people." He shot you a smirk before he threw another knife. 

You tracked the movement of the metal through the air, hating how awkward this had become. You were going to have to explain yourself and you weren't sure that you could make yourself actually say the words. "No," you tried to clarify. You cleared your throat and shook your head. "I meant that I'm in love with you. Not as a friend, but romantically." 

Diego froze at your words. His arm dropped to his side and he turned to look at you with a stunned expression. "Excuse me?" 

"I'm in love with you," you repeated. "I just wanted you to know. I wanted to see if you felt the same way." 

Diego frowned at you before it seemed like he managed to shut down. He wiped his face of any expression and he didn't make any kind of move that would let you know what he was feeling. It seemed like he was shutting himself off from you. You felt your breath catch. He was like this with the others, but never with you. You knew you were about to get your heart broken, but it wasn't until he said anything that you finally allowed yourself to move from where you were still sitting on the edge of his mattress. 

"I don't think of you that way," he told you. "Just as a friend." He cleared his throat and looked away from you. "As a sister. You're nothing more than that to me." 

Your face felt like it was burning and humiliation won out as the prevalent emotion. "Oh," you breathed before you got up and ran out of his room. 

"W-wait!" He called after you. 

You didn't want to hear him let you down more, though, so you ran into your room and locked the door. You knew that Diego was good at unlocking doors, though, so you moved your bedframe until it was pressed against your door. You threw yourself on top of your bed and stared up at your ceiling, tears trailing down your face. 

You kept replaying his words over in your mind. _You're nothing more than that to me._ Diego felt like everything to you and you were nothing more than a friend. _A sister_. What the fuck was that about? You didn't think of the others as your actual siblings. In your mind, you had been purchased from a woman unfortunate enough to fall pregnant and give birth in the same day. You were brought to the mansion and raised to believe that you were a superhero. It was like being at a lifelong boarding school. You loved the others. You cared for them. In a way, they were your family, but not in the traditional sense. You thought of them as your friends. Your loved ones. The people you cherished most in the world. For Diego to simplify everything down to just a few words to tell you that he didn't feel the same way was heart-breaking. 

You rolled over until you saw your dartboard with the metal-tipped darts still stuck in it and ripped it off the wall with your power. You wanted to do more, but moving your bedframe and the emotional humiliation was enough to force you to close your eyes. You hastily wiped away the tears that were making your cheeks wet and resolved to distance yourself from Diego for a while. You didn't want to make yourself out to be an even bigger idiot than what you just accomplished moments before. 

For a while after that, your relationship with Diego was a bit rocky. He watched you as if he wanted to tell you something and you shied away from spending too much alone time with him. You didn't want to seem pathetic and it hurt that you felt alone more than ever, but you were grateful for Klaus. Of course, he had always been the best at distracting you and you leaned on him more than ever for the months following your confession to Diego. 

Thankfully, over time, it felt like your relationship with Diego somehow grew stronger. It took time, sure, but you were thankful that you still had him in your life. You knew about his relationship with Patch and you were aware that there had been others for him. You had hooked up with a few people in your lifetime, but none of them ever came close to how you felt about Diego. Well, maybe Klaus, but as you grew older, you realized that your feelings for him had transformed into something else entirely. Your feelings for Diego, however, had always remained steady and sure. 

Now, though, you were thankful more than ever for Diego and Klaus and the others. They had all helped you in ways that you were still discovering and now after everything you had been through with Hazel and Cha-Cha, you were glad to have them with you. You realized that you felt safe having Diego at your side and knowing that Klaus and even Luther were right in front of you in the car. Even the presence of Five’s coin in your pocket was enough to help you feel more grounded. 

You couldn't recall much about the trip back to the Academy. You had vague flashes of the others talking. You remembered Klaus snapping his fingers in front of your face at one point. You thought that Diego might have been holding your hand. You were sure that it was Luther who carried you into the Academy and settled you on the couch in the living room. You felt like you were floating along for most of it, though. 

You woke up a few times throughout the night, but every time you managed to open your eyes, Diego was there at your side. You weren't sure if he ever got any sleep, but just knowing that he was there for you helped you feel better enough to fully rest. 

In the morning, you were woken up by the need to go to the bathroom. You sat up, glad to see that Diego was stretched out on the couch opposite the one you were lying on. He had his eyes closed and seemed to be sleeping. You managed to get off the couch without feeling too dizzy and wandered off in search of a bathroom. You felt sober enough that you could feel Klaus' coin and decided to check in on him. You knew that after everything that happened, you still didn't completely know what went on when he was taken by Hazel and Cha-Cha. 

"Hey," you called, knocking lightly on the door of the bathroom where you could feel Klaus‘ coin. "It's Y/N." 

"The door's unlocked," you heard him call out. 

You slowly opened the door, wary about what you would find. It wasn't completely unusual for Klaus to be in the middle of peeing or something else and tell you it was okay to open the door. You loved the guy, but you weren't exactly happy to witness _that_. 

Thankfully, he was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. "Are you okay?" You took a step into the room and shut the door behind you. 

He perked up at the sight of you. "Y/N. Hey. I should be asking you that." He patted the floor beside him. "Come sit down. Should you be up yet?" 

"Probably not," you admitted with a shrug. You sat down on the floor beside him and leaned your head against his shoulder. "What happened, Klaus?" 

Klaus sighed and rested his head on top of yours. "How much time do you have?" 

"For you?" You asked with a small smile. "All of it." 

He placed a kiss on top of your head and then launched into the story of the briefcase and his adventure in time-traveling. You couldn't believe that Klaus had gone through so much in what seemed like such a short period of time. It was less than a day for you, but for him, it had been ten months. He had spent ten months fighting for his life. He had spent ten months falling in love and losing that love. You could practically feel the misery and grief coming off of him in waves. Your eyes started tearing up when you heard him talk about Dave. You couldn't even find it in yourself to feel jealous that he so obviously loved Dave in a way he would never feel about you. You just hated that Klaus had yet again suffered. You wished that you could fix this. You wished that Dave had lived. Maybe, you thought to yourself, one of these days you could get your hands on one of those briefcases and save Dave. If it meant that Klaus could find the happiness he deserved, then you would give up everything to make it happen. 

You sniffled and wiped your cheeks with your hands. "That's so weird," you said as you scrunched up your face, trying to lighten the mood. "You're technically older than me now. You're an old man." 

Klaus grinned down at you. "Respect your elder," he joked while he reached out to wipe away a stray tear on your cheek with his thumb. 

"Dave sounds wonderful," you told him. "I think I would have liked him. It would have been nice for someone else to help me call you on your bullshit." 

"He would have liked you," Klaus agreed. He sighed and brought out a bag of pills from where he had hidden it under his leg. He weighed the bag in his hand. "I have to see him again," he told you. 

"And you can only see him when you're sober," you concluded. "Do you need me to do it?" You held out your hand for the bag, but he shook his head. He crawled forward until he was kneeling in front of the toilet. 

"I can do this," Klaus whispered, his focus on the bag in his hand. 

You managed to get on your knees, ignoring the pain you were still in, and moved until you could rest a hand on his back. "You can do this," you assured him. "Klaus, I'm so proud of you. And Dave would be too. Just think about how happy you'll be when you see him again." 

"Yeah," he said on a laugh. "I'd do anything," he admitted, before he raised his hand, and dumped the pills into the toilet. 

You wrapped your arms around his waist. "You did it," you said, so happy for Klaus in that moment. You knew that it was just one step towards him seeing Dave again and that he would have to go through withdrawal, but you knew that he had a good reason for putting himself through all of that. If anything, you would be right there with him to see him through it. 

It was then that Luther burst into the bathroom. He stopped short at the sight of you and Klaus on the bathroom floor. "Uh, I came to tell you that we're having a family meeting. Also, I think Diego is about to file a missing person report on you, Y/N. You should probably go tell him you're okay." 

You grimaced and shook your head. "That sounds like a good idea, but my head is killing me and I think I might throw up if I stand right now." 

Klaus turned to look at you, his eyes wide. "Shit. I forgot about your head." He gestured towards the toilet. "Do you really need to throw up?" 

You took a deep breath and held a hand out towards Luther. "Just need someone to help me off the floor." 

Luther helped you stand up and then put his arm around your waist when you swayed. 

"You coming, Klaus?" Luther asked as he led you towards the bathroom door. 

Klaus sighed and reached up to flush the toilet. "Sounds like a real rager, but my schedule is just about full." 

Luther shook his head. "We don't have time for that. The world's ending in three days." 

You glanced over to see Klaus staring at Luther, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. 

Luther sighed and started steering you towards the living room. When you got there, it was to see Diego pacing the floor. He looked up when you and Luther entered the room and he rushed over to you. "Don't scare me like that again," he scolded you as he started leading you over towards the couch you spent the night on, slapping Luther's hand away when he went to help. "You probably have a concussion. If you fell and hit your head right now, you would probably die." 

"I'll be okay, Diego," you tried to reassure him. It was a little difficult when your head was pounding and your mouth was dry. "Although, if you could get me some water, that would be amazing," you told him with a smile as you reclined back on the couch cushions. "And I'll just be here, on the couch, and not moving at all." 

He studied you for a few moments before he nodded his head and left the room. You settled back down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "So, family meeting?" 

"Yeah," Luther said just as Diego came back into the room. 

Diego sat down on the edge of the sofa and set a glass of water down on the coffee table. He was staring at you, but you weren't quite sure what was on his mind. He looked like he had a lot of things to say to you, but he couldn't decide on where to start. 

"Is this all of us?" You asked him. 

Diego nodded towards where Allison was leaning against the bar and watching the pair of you. You squinted at her and raised your hand in a wave. You were surprised that you didn’t even notice that she was in the room. 

"Hey, Y/N. How are you feeling?" 

"Like someone drugged the shit out of me and hit me over the head a few times." You tried to make yourself sit up, but you couldn't quite manage it yet. 

"Here," Diego said before he handed you the glass of water. "Finish that." 

You would have rolled your eyes, but you were sure it would have been a very bad idea. Your headache was steadily getting worse now that you were awake and not high anymore, so you didn't want to do anything to irritate it even more. "You're so demanding." 

"Only when it matters," Diego said, staring at you as if making sure you were going to follow his order. 

You reached out to grab his hand and squeeze it. "What happened when I was gone?" You knew something else must have happened. Diego looked like he had suffered just like Klaus had, but you weren't sure how or what happened. 

Diego glanced away and then shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" 

"Okay," you agreed. "Did anyone call Vanya about the family meeting?" 

Before you could get an answer to your question, Luther was walking into the living room with Klaus right behind him. You guessed that Luther had left to go get him again. 

You decided to settle your head back on the pillow beneath it and close your eyes. You could listen just as well without feeling like you were going to scream from the aching you felt all over your body. 

"So, Five told me about the apocalypse," Luther started. 

"What?" Allison asked. 

"The world is apparently going to end in three days," Luther continued. 

Shit. That meant you had about two days to solve your own murder. You had honestly forgotten about it since reuniting with the others. 

"The old man did mention something about an apocalypse come to mention it," Klaus said. 

Well, you supposed that with time running out so quickly, you should probably fess up as well. "He told me about it too," you admitted. There was no way you were going to mention your murder, though. You were still firmly of the belief that your death meant less compared to the deaths of everyone else. Besides, you were hoping that Diego and Luther had conveniently forgotten about Five mentioning it. 

"Five told me about you too, Y/N. And how you don't want any of us to know," Luther mentioned as he turned to look at you. 

Klaus glanced over at you from where he was sitting on the floor. "About what?" 

"Luther, that's not important. Let's talk about this apocalypse," you tried to deflect. You noticed then that Diego had a cup of takeout coffee and you held out your hand. Diego frowned and shook his head, pulling it away from your grasp. You pouted up at him. "But I need the caffeine," you tried. Diego rolled his eyes and handed over his coffee. 

"Don't drink too much of that," he told you before he stood up. "What are you on about, Luther?" 

"Ah, bliss," you said loudly enough that you hoped it would serve as a distraction. "So, the world is ending in three days. Imagine that." You sat up, looking at the others and trying to switch gears. "Why don't you tell us what Five mentioned to you about the apocalypse, Luther? And _only_ the apocalypse," you narrowed your eyes at him, hoping to convey that you would make his life hell if he gave up the secret about your murder. It seemed that Diego had forgotten Five's slip, but you should have known that once Luther had something on his mind, he was stubborn about it. 

"Well," Luther started. "Five told me that we fought together to stop the apocalypse. The four of us," Luther said, not including you in the group. Luther took a sip of his own coffee and turned his back on the group, sharing a look with you. You knew he didn't want to mention that everyone died in case it discouraged the others from helping this time around. 

"Whoa, wait. Hold on," Klaus said. 

"What aren't you telling us?" Allison asked. 

"Yeah, big guy, what are you leaving out?" Diego took a step towards Luther, his brow furrowed. 

Luther took a deep breath and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "We died," he blurted before taking another sip of his coffee. He gestured towards where you were on the couch. "And she died before us," he said, as if that would prove as a distraction. 

"What?" Diego crossed the room until he was standing by the couch you were sitting on. "What is he talking about?" 

You shrugged your shoulders and tried to take a sip of Diego's coffee, but he reached out to grab it from your hand. "No idea?" You tried. 

"Oh, yeah," Luther said with a nod. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a familiar newspaper clipping. "Five gave me this. He said it might be important." 

"That little fucker," you hissed. "Don't read that!" You shouted as Klaus reached out to grab the newspaper from Luther's hand. Diego and Allison crowded around him to read the article as well and you flopped back onto the couch, ignoring the pulse of pain you experienced from the action. You felt exposed in that moment. This was a secret you had tried so hard to hold onto and Five had given it up. Although, you supposed, you were running out of time and were no closer to figuring out who the hell was actually supposed to murder you. 

"What the hell, Y/N?" Klaus asked. "Were you trying to hide this from us? From _me_?" He stressed. 

"Yes," you admitted, stubbornly refusing to actually look over and meet anyone's gaze. "But hey, everyone is going to die in three days. So I'm a little ahead of the game. Does that really matter?" 

You flinched when all four of the other occupants in the room yelled at you. "Yes!" 

"Well, now I know," you groaned. "Stop yelling," you said as you reached up to clutch your head in your hands. 

"Look," Diego started. "We need to figure this all out." He gestured towards the newspaper. “This and the apocalypse.” 

"Everyone is going to die. Not just Y/N and us, but the whole planet," Luther added. 

It was then that something snagged on your senses. "Hey, Vanya's here," you muttered, recognizing the feeling of her coin just as she walked into the room. 

"What's this?" She asked. You glanced at her and froze at the sight of Leonard standing behind her. Why was he here? Was he even wearing any metal? You considered him for a few moments, trying to see if you could sense anything on him. 

"It's a family matter," Allison answered. 

Vanya scoffed and shook her head. "So of course you couldn't include me. Because I'm not family?" 

"No, that's not what I'm saying," Allison rushed to assure. 

"No one called Vanya?" You glanced at the others. "What the hell, guys?" 

"What happened to you, Y/N?" Vanya was standing over you, staring at you in concern and horror. 

You reached up to touch the edges of the bruises on your face. "I got kidnapped. And hit a few times," you said. 

"Don't forget drugged," Klaus piped up. 

"Yes, that too." 

Vanya shook her head. "Why did no one tell me?" 

You winced and reached out to grab her hand, but she pulled away from you. "To be fair, I've been pretty out of it lately." 

Allison stepped forward until she was just a couple of feet away from Vanya. While she was talking to Vanya, you shared a look with Leonard. He was staring at you, considering you, and you didn't appreciate it. He shouldn't be there. While you loved Vanya and knew that she had every right to be there in her own home, you didn't like that Leonard had been allowed access. There was something calculating in his gaze that sent a shiver down your spine. 

You opened your mouth to ask Vanya if Leonard really needed to be there, but then you realized that she was in the middle of a fight with Allison. You tuned in just at the end when she was calling everyone assholes and moving to storm out. You sat up, wanting to go after her, but with Leonard there, you weren't sure if she would actually listen to you. 

"Ouch," Klaus said. 

It was silent in the room for a few moments, before the others started theorizing on the cause of the apocalypse. Your heart ached for Vanya. She probably needed her family more than ever in that moment. Like always, though, there was a mission that came first. You grimaced and resolved to call her later. 

"So, I'm thinking this is about the Moon. Dad wouldn't have sent me up there if it wasn't important, right?" 

You wanted to tell Luther to let go of that line of thought, but you knew that Luther was just as messed up as the rest of you. If he needed to cling to that theory, then you would let him for now. Honestly, for all you knew, Hargreeves had sent Luther to the Moon because of some conspiracy. It wouldn't be the first time the old man had done something like that. 

"What's so different from last time? What's going to stop us from all getting killed again?" Diego was leaning against the bar, his gaze settled on Luther. 

"Five," Luther answered. "We didn't have him last time and now we do." 

"If we only have three days, then I have something I need to do." Diego patted himself down, as if making sure he still had his knives on him, before he moved to leave the room. 

"Where are you going?" Luther called after him. 

"I'm going after those two that have been making our lives hell for the past few days. They tried to kill us all, they kidnapped Klaus and Y/N and almost killed them, and then they killed someone important to me. I'm going to make them pay." 

"I know you want to avenge your friend," Luther started. 

"She was more than just a friend," Diego cut him off. "She meant more than that to me." 

"Your friend?" You asked with a frown, fearing the answer. "Who?" 

"Oh, he didn't tell you? Those two psychos who tortured me and you killed his lady cop," Klaus said as he sat down beside you on the couch. You noticed that he was clutching his stomach. He was pale and sweaty. His hands were shaking. You knew that he must have been going through withdrawal. 

Once Klaus' words registered, you felt like everything froze for a moment. Patch was dead? "Diego," you started, not entirely sure what you could even say at that moment. You knew Patch had probably been the one and only love of Diego's life. You couldn't even imagine the pain he was in. Between Klaus and Diego, you weren't even sure you could understand what they were going through. Diego and Klaus were the two major loves of your life and you were lucky enough to still have them. Now, Klaus had lost Dave, and Diego had lost Patch. 

Diego shook his head and stormed out of the room, not giving you a chance to figure out what to say to him. 

Klaus patted your hand and then stood up, moving to leave the living room as well. 

"You're leaving too?" Luther asked. "You're going to give up on the world too?" 

"Pretty much," Klaus called over his shoulder. 

"So you're cool with everyone dying in three days?" Luther looked like he was about to reach out and shake Klaus by his shoulders. 

Klaus merely shrugged his shoulders and walked out. You knew that Klaus was probably wanting to see Dave again and if he was going through withdrawal, then the thought of Dave was probably the only thing keeping him going. You knew you needed to go with him, but decided to lie down again for a few moments. Your head was still hurting and you wished that you had more water to drink. 

Luther turned to Allison then, but it seemed like she had other plans. You listened to their conversation as you stared up at the ceiling. Once Allison walked out, you glanced over at Luther again. You noticed the disappointed and lost look on Luther's face. "Hey," you called out. "I'm still here. Two is better than one, right?" 

He looked over at you where you were still lying on the couch. "No offense, Y/N, but I was kind of hoping for the full team. Besides, you're not really up to anything right now, are you?" 

You groaned and made yourself sit up, swinging your legs over the side of the couch so that you could stand up. "For you? I'll manage," you told him with a wink. 

Luther shook his head and moved to help you stand up. "You've been spending too much time with Klaus." 

"I can admit that I've been heavily influenced by him over the years." 

Luther huffed out a laugh and threw an arm around your shoulders. "Feel up to looking through Dad's stuff? He must have kept my information from the Moon." 

"Sounds like a plan," you agreed. "As long as you help me up the stairs," you amended. 

Later, as you and Luther rifled through some of Hargreeves’ things and looked for anything to do with Luther’s stay on the Moon, you couldn’t help but feel like if you were ever going to fix things with Luther, then this would be the moment. It was rare that the two of you were alone together and you didn’t want to waste the opportunity. 

“Hey, Luther?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m sorry for the way things are between us.” 

Luther finally stood up from where he was looking through a cabinet. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Y/N.” 

“I haven’t always been the most accepting of your leadership role. I should have supported you more. I figured if I’m going to die, then I just wanted you to know that.” 

Luther sighed and moved closer to you. “You’re not going to die. We’re not going to let that happen.” He glanced around the room for a moment before he looked back to you. “You know, I’ve read most of your books.” 

You couldn’t believe it. “You did?” 

“I did.” He sighed again and patted you on the shoulder. “You’ll always be my sister. I’ll always love you.” 

“I just feel bad that we don’t always get along. I’m close to Klaus and Diego and Vanya, but I feel like we’re not that close. If we’re all dying soon, then I want to do something about that.” 

Luther pulled you into a hug at that. “You don’t have anything to feel bad about.” 

You wrapped your arms around his waist. It was so rare that you actually had any kind of physical affection with Luther. You usually spent your time together bickering or trying to break up a fight between Diego and Luther. You weren’t that close, but you knew that you would still die for him and any of the others. 

“Is everything all right, Miss Y/N and Master Luther?” Pogo asked from the doorway. 

You pulled away from Luther and glanced at Pogo. Luther nodded his head. “I’m looking for the reports and everything that I sent Dad from the Moon. Do you know where they are?” 

You could tell that Pogo was hiding something. You were so tired of all of the secrets. Between Hargreeves and Pogo, you weren’t sure what was real and what was just a deception anymore. 

You watched as Pogo pointed to the floor and Luther pulled up the floorboard. He started going through the white packages that were hidden there. “He didn’t even open them,” he said as he pulled one of the packages out and tore off the top of it. “Why didn’t he open them?” Luther asked as he glanced from you to Pogo. 

You had a sinking feeling in your stomach. You felt like you knew the answer, but it was too terrible to even think about it. 

“I suppose your father wanted to give you a purpose after your accident,” Pogo admitted. 

And there it was. You knew Hargreeves was a messed-up bastard, but to send Luther to the Moon for four years for no real reason? That just seemed cruel to you. 

“So none of it was real? Was I not a good enough Number One? Is that why he sent me away?” Luther sounded like he was starting to panic. 

“You are a good Number One, Luther.” Well, you thought, he tried his best. He always wanted the best for the group and even though he had a terrible habit of not thinking things through, you knew that he cared about the team. You watched as he started tearing into the packages that Hargreeves had kept hidden in the floor. “Luther,” you tried, reaching forward. “It’s okay. We all know Hargreeves was the worst. Don’t give him the satisfaction of messing with you even after he’s gone.” 

You could tell that Luther was only moments away from snapping. “Just leave,” he begged. “Please,” he added, not even looking at you. 

You shared a glance with Pogo and nodded your head. “Okay. If you need me, I’ll be around, okay?” 

Luther didn’t answer you, but you knew he heard you when he nodded his head. 

You ushered Pogo out of the room and waited until you were far enough away to confront him. “What the hell, Pogo? Hargreeves was a demented asshole, I know that, but how could you keep stuff like this from us? What else are you hiding for Hargreeves?” 

Pogo bowed his head and then met your gaze. “I am not hiding anything for Master Hargreeves.” 

“That’s a lie,” you told him with a shake of your head. “I thought you were better than that, Pogo.” 

You walked away from him, not wanting to stick around. If Pogo didn’t want to talk to you about what else was going on, then he wouldn’t. You knew that Pogo worked closely with Hargreeves and if you couldn’t find the journal, then Pogo would be the next best thing. The only problem with that was that you would probably die before Pogo mentioned anything of importance. 

You reached out with your power and realized that Klaus and Diego were both in the attic. You wondered what they were doing up there and decided to go find out. Your head was still killing you, but you were running out of time if you were going to do anything about your murder or the apocalypse. 

You heard their voices as you got closer and you wondered what they were talking about. You peeked into the room and saw Diego securing Klaus to a chair with blue rope. You frowned, wondering if you should say something, but you realized that Klaus was telling Diego about Dave. If Klaus was opening up to Diego, then you definitely didn’t want to interrupt him. 

You made sure to hide just out of sight, but stayed close enough that you could still hear them. You weren't sure why Diego was in the middle of tying Klaus up, but you were sure they had to have a good reason. You got the gist that this was Klaus’ idea for getting sober. 

He had already confided a lot to you, but you didn't know everything. Your heart ached to hear how wistful Klaus sounded when talking about Dave, but only because you couldn't stand the hurt Klaus had been subjected to lately. You were beginning to fully accept that the romance you had always craved with him wasn't going to happen. You only wanted to cling to how close the two of you already were. The fact that he had loved someone so completely and lost that person in such a devastating way was enough to have you tearing up again. You were happy to know that he had that kind of love in the first place, even if it wasn’t with you. You knew Klaus cared about you and that was all that mattered to you. 

Not to mention, whatever was brewing between you and Diego now was confusing the hell out of you. 

"Yeah," you heard Diego say. "I think I can understand how you feel." 

"Because of your lady cop?" 

You clenched your eyes shut. When Diego didn't answer, you forced your eyes open. 

"Oh," Klaus breathed. "Or is it Y/N that's giving you those feelings?" 

"What? No. You don't know what you're talking about," Diego tried to argue. 

"Oh, please," Klaus said with a laugh. "I've seen the looks you give her." 

Looks? What looks? 

“And when she went missing, you were barely holding it together. You got shot trying to get to her, Diego. You can’t hide it from me even if you’ve been hiding it from her.” 

"Well, even if that was true, I screwed that up long ago." 

Klaus hummed something under his breath that you couldn't quite catch from where you were standing. "I don't think you did," he said. "But I feel like I should be the dutiful and loving best friend here and tell you that if you hurt her, that I'll get rid of you so thoroughly there won't be enough of you left to haunt my ass. Capisce?" 

"I'd let you," Diego replied. 

You stayed there until Klaus announced he had to pee. You beat a hasty retreat to your old room after that, your mind racing. Did Diego feel the same way about you? Klaus certainly seemed to think so. You couldn’t help but think about when you were both sixteen and he rejected you by telling you that he only thought of you as a sister. You definitely did not think of him as a brother. You had never thought of him that way. Had his feelings for you changed? You weren’t sure how to feel about that. There was so much going on that you had to spend a few moments actually thinking about it. 

Patch was dead. You knew that Diego must have still had feelings for her. He was close to her and even though you had always been jealous of the way that Patch had gotten to know Diego in a way that you felt you never would, you still liked her. She was good at her job and she knew how to keep Diego in line. She was nice to you and you hated that Hazel and Cha-Cha had killed her. They were a problem that would need to be dealt with. You had half a mind to offer to help Diego track them down, but you needed to wait until you were better. You knew that there was no way he would let you go with him if he knew that your head was still hurting. 

But you couldn’t help but consider what you just heard. Was Diego pining for you? He said that he messed up his chance when you were both younger, but he had to know that you would give him as many chances as he needed. You wanted him to know that you were still in love with him and if anything, that the love had only grown stronger over the years. From going with him on his vigilante missions and seeing him for your weekly dinner catch-up sessions. Whenever he would bring you your favorite food whenever you disappeared once you started writing a new book or spending all of that time training with him and sparring. You loved him so much that you couldn’t stand it sometimes and even the hope of him feeling the same way was enough to get your heart racing. 

You thought of the care he had shown you over the past few days. He stayed with you throughout the previous night and Klaus mentioned that he even got shot trying to save you. You thought back to every close moment the two of you had shared and you couldn’t help but hope that Klaus was right about Diego’s feelings for you. 

You were torn out of your thoughts by Diego knocking softly on your door. 

"Can I come in?" 

"Yeah. Of course." You tried to swallow your nerves and then gestured for him to sit with you. 

"Thanks." He stood there fidgeting in the doorway for a few seconds before he crossed the room to sit beside you on your bed. He reached out to take your hand. "I think we need to talk." 

There was an expression on his face that you couldn't decipher even though you had been seeing it aimed at you a lot lately. 

"Okay," you said, drawing out the word. 

Diego gave you a sheepish smile, his fingers intertwining with yours. He opened his mouth to say something you were sure you had been waiting your whole life to hear. You felt anxious with anticipation as you leaned closer to him. 

And then the day reset. 

You were on the couch, thinking that you should go after Vanya despite the fact that Leonard was with her. It wasn’t fair that she had been excluded yet again. Yes, she just technically called you an asshole, but you were hoping she wasn’t really including you with everyone else in the group. 

“So what gives us a win this time?” Diego asked, leaning against the bar. 

It was then that Five appeared, falling to the floor in the middle of the group. 

“Am I still high or do you see him too?” Klaus asked. 

You nodded your head. “I was about to ask the same question.” 

Five looked like he had been through hell recently and you wondered what happened to him while he was gone. 

“Are you okay, Five?” Allison asked. 

“Who did this to you?” Diego looked concerned as he studied Five. 

“What happened when you left?” You couldn’t help but question. 

“Irrelevant,” Five dismissed with a shake of his head. He grabbed the cup of coffee out of Luther’s hand and chugged the rest of it before throwing it behind him. Luther looked so upset at the loss of his coffee that you couldn’t help but laugh. 

Five glanced at you and nodded his head, but you weren’t quite sure why. He turned to address the rest of the group. “So, the apocalypse is in three days. The only chance we have of stopping it is if we act as a team.” He gestured to everyone in the room. You silently added Vanya to the group, since you knew that she shouldn’t be left out just because she didn’t have a power. “Who cares if Dad messed us up? Are we going to let that define us?” 

You saw Klaus shake his head as the rest of the group agreed. 

Five nodded his head. “Good,” he said before he walked over to you. He held out his hand and you were confused for a moment before you remembered that he left you his coin just the day before. You grinned up at him as you pulled the coin out of your pocket and dropped it into his outstretched hand, forgetting your earlier anger with him for sharing the news about your murder with Luther. You were just glad that he was back and wanted the token you made for him again. He held it up for you to see before he put it into the front pocket of his shorts. He then turned to look at the group and showed them a paper he had been holding onto. “I know who we have to stop if we want a shot at stopping the apocalypse.” 

He showed the paper to you briefly before bringing it over for the rest of the group to read it. 

Diego scowled down at the paper before he looked up at Five. “Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my ass. I had a rough week and even though I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, I had terrible writer's block. I also watched the first two seasons of Misfits and I was trying really hard not to mix in Nathan with Klaus' characterization. 
> 
> I hope this chapter turned out okay. Please don't hate me for this one. I promise we will circle back around to what was about to happen!


	7. Before All Hell Breaks Loose

When you were younger, the people of the city would line themselves up around the mansion to catch a glimpse of a member of the Umbrella Academy. They wanted autographs or a picture. They wanted your time and attention, but Hargreeves never allowed you to make friends outside of the Academy, much less allowed you the opportunity to talk to strangers. 

You hated how people knew your name and wanted to be your best friend without even knowing you. Sure, there were the magazine interviews or the information Hargreeves allowed you to give the masses like your favorite color or food. That was all surface information, though. They didn’t know that you spent most of your time unhappy. They didn‘t know that at just the age of thirteen, you were probably already looking at years of therapy in your adult life. They didn’t know that Hargreeves pushed you to your breaking point over and over again just because he thought that you were going to help save the world. If they knew how much you resented Hargreeves and all the shit he did to you, then they wouldn't be so enamored with the group of superhero kids. 

However, you didn’t completely hate your life. You loved the others. You were glad to have Klaus and Diego in your life. You liked talking about all of the limits of the universe with Five or reading quietly with Ben. You liked seeing just how strong Luther was by asking him to life random objects around the house. You liked training with Diego and finding out what kinds of mischief you and Klaus could get up to. You liked hanging out with Allison or Vanya and bemoaning the fact that the boys outnumbered you in the house. You liked all of those moments, but there was a tension among the group of you most days that Hargreeves in no way helped. You cherished the kids who Hargreeves told you were your siblings and you didn’t know where you would be without them, but what everyone failed to realize was that the life you led came at a high cost. 

There were many times when Hargreeves would drive you and some of the others home in the family car and you would arrive there to find people clamoring for your attention. Hargreeves reveled in the fact that he was so special and had such special children. You knew he hoarded secrets like they were the only things keeping him alive, but he loved showing you and the others off. Any opportunity he got to prove that he was superior in any way was something he didn't waste. 

You remembered one time when Hargreeves had cut down a kid who was so convinced that he was supposed to be a part of the Academy. 

You were all supposed to be filing into the house after Hargreeves. You had just come back from a quick mission to stop a robbery when it happened. It wasn't until you heard the kid speak to Allison that you realized he was there. He must have jumped the barricade and when you looked back, you saw that he had a hand on Allison's arm. Your power reacted instinctively, picking up on any metal the kid had on him. You pushed him back just before Luther showed up to push the kid even farther away. 

"But I'm your biggest fan!" The kid cried out. 

"You're not supposed to be here," Luther admonished, already checking to see if Allison was okay. You walked forward just as Hargreeves did. 

"But I was born on the same day as you guys! I think there's been some sort of mistake. I mean, I don't think I have a power yet, but I'm sure that I do!" 

It was then that Hargreeves decided to crush any and all hopes that the kid ever had of being a part of the Umbrella Academy. You felt bad for the kid, but he should have done his research. If he knew what Hargreeves was really like, then he wouldn’t have been trying so hard to move in with him. 

You listened as Hargreeves finished telling the boy that he didn't have a power and never would. Hargreeves was in the middle of telling him to get off his property when you decided to step in. 

Everyone was laughing at the kid’s obvious embarrassment as you moved forward to talk to him. He was wearing a homemade Academy uniform and even had his own domino mask. 

"Hey," you started as you leaned towards him. 

"Number Eight, get over here this once!" Hargreeves called to you. 

You rolled your eyes and ignored him. "Look, I know it seems like this is a blast and a lot of fun, but the truth is that we're only allowed half an hour of fun a week. It's all training and that old man yelling at us. You'd hate it," you tried to tell the kid. 

"I wouldn't! I swear!" He pleaded with you as he reached out to take your wrists in his hands. He squeezed until it was just a little bit too painful. 

"That hurts," you hissed as you tried to shake his grip off of you. You felt bad for the kid, you really did, but he just wasn't listening to you. "I'm trying to tell you that this life isn't all that it seems." 

There was a fear and a desperation in his eyes that terrified you for a moment. It looked like he would do absolutely anything to escape and join you and the others. You didn't know what he was running from, but you didn't really get a chance to ask. 

Luther had reached the two of you and forcefully removed the kid's hands from you. "Leave her alone!" 

Klaus was there to gently take a hold of your wrists and look them over. “Those are going to bruise,” he said as he grimaced down at them before he turned to lead you into the house. 

You heard the crowd whispering as Hargreeves called for officers to escort the kid away. 

"Did you see Y/N trying to talk to him?" 

"She's such a sweetheart!" 

"I wish she would talk to me!" 

You frowned at that, because that wasn't what you were going for at all. You were just trying to warn the kid and maybe steer him in a different direction. You couldn’t help but feel like if he continued on with his obsession with the Academy, then he would only be let down when he realized that it wasn’t all it was made out to be. 

As the crowd of strangers clamored for your attention or commented on what just happened, you hoped that the boy’s brief encounter with Hargreeves would be enough to dissuade him from his hero worship. You didn't really understand fame and the more you experienced it, the worse it seemed to get. 

Later, Hargreeves would tell you it was foolish to give kids like that any of your time and you should focus on preparing to save the world. You knew the old man was full of shit, but you didn't quite think that he was so delusional as to think that you would actually be able to save the world. 

Now as you listened to the others talking about Harold Jenkins and stopping the apocalypse, you couldn't help but consider that maybe the old man was right about something after all. 

The more you considered Five, the more you realized there was something off about him. He had more metal than usual on him, but you couldn't quite tell what it was or where he had it on him. You frowned at him, but the more you concentrated on the feeling of the metal, the more your head started to hurt. 

"So, how is this guy connected to the apocalypse? How is one guy responsible for the end of the world?" You couldn’t help but think that for someone who wanted to believe the Moon was somehow the culprit in every problem ever, Luther sure sounded skeptical about the idea that Harold could cause the apocalypse. You had to take a few moments to wrap your mind around that one. 

Five huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "You'd be surprised. I suggest we start looking for him now before it's too late." 

"How do you know so much about what's-his-name?" Allison asked. 

"Harold Jenkins," Five corrected. "You know the two idiots that came here looking for me the other night?" 

"Oh, yeah. I think I remember those guys," Klaus said as he shot you a wink. You rolled your eyes and concentrated on getting up from the couch. If you thought about how great it would be to stand on your own two feet, you could almost ignore the dizziness and pain. After a few seconds, you quickly dismissed your plan. It just wasn’t going to happen at the moment. 

"They were sent by my former employer to track me down and stop me from preventing the apocalypse. I intercepted their message telling them to protect Harold Jenkins." 

"Your former employer?" You asked Five. "Who the hell are they?" 

Five sighed and regarded you with a disappointed look, as if he thought you were better than to ask questions at that moment. "The Temps Commission monitors all of time and space to make sure that whatever is supposed to happen happens. They know about the apocalypse and they have no intention of stopping it. They're going to stop anyone who gets in their way." 

You glanced at the others, trying to discern if they were just as perplexed by the turn this conversation had taken. Five had worked for the same company as Hazel and Cha-Cha? Did he also track down people and try to kill them? He was always stubborn and determined and you didn’t want to try to imagine just how proficient he would be as a hired killer. You didn’t want to think of Five that way. You loved him and you were sure that anything he might have done was just a way for him to get back to you and the others. 

You decided to focus on something else and it was then that you noticed how pale and sweaty Klaus looked. You wondered how bad the withdrawal was hitting him. You were proud of him for getting rid of his stash of drugs, because you knew that he had a good reason. You hoped that his struggle was all worth it and that he saw Dave soon. You couldn’t help but think that worrying about Harold Jenkins and the apocalypse was probably the last thing he needed at that moment. 

"This is insane," Klaus mumbled while he wrapped his arms around his stomach. 

"Everything about us insane," Five replied. "It always has been," he said with a shake of his head. "We didn't choose this life, but it was given to us. We can save billions of lives if we do something about this guy." He glanced at Allison. "Including Claire." 

Allison looked touched that Five actually knew her daughter's name. "You know her name?" 

"Of course I do," Five assured her. "I'd like to meet her one day if we don't all die in three days." 

"Well, you had me at Gerald Jenkins," Diego interjected. 

Five rolled his eyes. "Harold Jenkins," he reiterated. 

"Yeah, whatever. I already lost two people this week. I'm not losing more," he said. 

Two? Was he talking about Hargreeves and Grace? You didn’t think Diego actually cared about Hargreeves enough to be torn up over his death, though. "Are you talking about Mom and Hargreeves?" You asked Diego. 

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Klaus sat down on the edge of the couch beside you, still clutching his stomach. "Those two psychos who tortured you and me killed his lady cop." 

You turned to look at Diego in shock. Patch was dead? "Diego," you started, not sure how to finish that sentence. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going through. You suspected that Patch had been his first and only love. Diego had been one of your first loves and just the thought of losing him was too painful for you. You never wanted that to actually become a reality for you. 

"It's not up for discussion right now," Diego dismissed. "We're wasting time." He turned to look at the rest of the group. "Are we going or not?" 

Allison nodded her head and moved to join Diego with Five. 

“Of course,” you agreed. 

You moved to stand up, but Diego shook his head. "You're staying right there on that couch until you're better. We don't know what we're facing with this guy and it would be better if you stay here." 

"Are you kidding me?" You couldn’t believe that Diego was trying to stop you from helping them track down Harold Jenkins. 

Diego settled you with a look and you had half a mind to steal his knives until he agreed to let you join the group. If you were being honest, you really weren't up for a field trip at that moment, but you didn't want to be stuck on the sidelines. You wanted to do something to help. 

It was then that Luther interrupted. "I'm going to stay here and go through Dad's files. I feel like this has something to do with the Moon. Dad wouldn't have sent me up there unless it was important, right?" 

Diego scoffed and shook his head. "I can't believe you're making the end of all life on this planet about you and Dad right now. Way to have some perspective, big guy." 

"Perspective? You're really talking to me about perspective?" Luther asked as he stepped towards Diego. 

"We don't have time for this," Five insisted. 

"You're right," Diego agreed. "Come on, Klaus. You're with us," Diego said before he moved to leave the room. 

"Oh, about that," Klaus said. He patted your hand and then stood up. "I'm going to have to pass. I'm not feeling up to it right now, but thanks for the invite." He walked out of the room before anyone could really argue with him. 

You watched as Diego, Five, and Allison left the room. You turned to look at Luther. He looked so lost and disappointed that no one wanted to believe him about the Moon. Even though Diego had told you to stay put and rest, you couldn’t help but want to be there for Luther. You rarely got to spend any time with him where it was just the two of you, so you wanted to take the opportunity to try to mend your relationship. 

"Hey," you called. "I'm still here. Two is better than one, right?" 

Luther seemed to consider your offer for a few moments before he smiled at you. "Are you sure you're up for it? You don't look like you're making it off that couch any time soon." 

You groaned and made yourself sit up, swinging your legs over the side of the couch so that you could stand up. "For you? I'll manage," you told him with a wink. 

Luther shook his head and moved to help you stand up. "You've been spending too much time with Klaus." 

"I can admit that I've been heavily influenced by him over the years." 

Luther grinned at you and threw an arm around your shoulders. "You sure you're up for looking through Dad's stuff?" 

"Of course," you agreed. "As long as you help me up the stairs," you amended. 

Later, as you watched Luther's world come crashing down around him, you couldn't help but wish that Allison was there. She would probably be the only one with any shot at pulling Luther out of this and as he asked you to leave the room, you wanted to try to get in touch with her to see if she would come back to the mansion. The only problem was that you weren’t quite sure where she was at the moment, so you didn’t have a way to call her. 

"What the hell, Pogo?" You asked once you were far enough away that you were sure Luther wouldn't be able to hear you two. "Hargreeves was a demented asshole, I know that, but how could you keep stuff like this from us? What else are you hiding for Hargreeves?” 

Pogo bowed his head and then met your gaze. “I am not hiding anything for Master Hargreeves.” 

“That’s a lie,” you told him with a shake of your head. “I thought you were better than that, Pogo.” 

You walked away from him, because if you stayed, then you were only going to get even more pissed off. Pogo had always hoarded Hargreeves' secrets for him and you weren't sure why you thought that he would start talking once the old man was gone. You were sure that you would be dead before Pogo even bothered to mention anything useful. 

You decided to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Your mouth was still dry despite the glass of water Diego made you finish earlier. You leaned back against the counter beside the sink and considered the empty room. You wondered if the others had any luck tracking down Harold Jenkins. If he was really responsible for the apocalypse and he was stopped in time, then that meant you only had to worry about dying in a couple of days. Although, you weren't quite sure if that timeline was correct. Maybe you were supposed to die before that. The newspaper only said you were found dead in your apartment. Sure, Klaus usually came by about once a day, but lately he had been sticking to the mansion. Maybe you died sooner and it just took a while for someone to find you? You shivered at the thought. You hated the idea of dying all alone and no one even noticing until it was too late to do much about it. Maybe you could have been saved if only you and the others were closer. You had attempted to fix the bridge between you and Luther earlier, but you weren't sure if the whole revelation that Hargreeves was a complete and total asshole even in death had done anything to damage it. 

You finished your water and went in search of Klaus. You could sense his coin in the living room so you followed it there. You wanted to check in on him since you knew he was still suffering through his withdrawal. 

You entered the living room to the sight of Luther trying to leave and shoving Klaus across the room when he tried to stop him. Klaus had slid across the floor from the force of Luther’s push and he was lying on his back looking dazed. "What the hell are you doing, Luther? You could have hurt him!" You rushed to Klaus' side. "What's wrong with you?" You yelled after him, but he seemed to ignore you. You looked down at Klaus. "Are you okay?" 

"I've had worse," Klaus groaned. He glanced over at you and gestured to the blue rope that was coiled on the floor a few feet away. "Will you tie me up?" He then looked up and over your shoulder. He scowled at what he saw there. "Fine. Fine!" He hissed as he stood up and then reached out to help you off the floor. "Forget that. I'm going after Luther." 

You were still wondering why Klaus had just asked you to tie him up. You figured that Ben must have stopped him from going through with it and you glanced around as if you would be able to see him. You missed him so much and wished that he was still alive. A part of you was glad that he was still around and trying to help Klaus, though. 

"I'll go with you," you offered. 

"You shouldn't leave the house," Klaus said with a shake of his head. "You've got your head injury or whatever." 

"I'm not going to just sit here in this stupid house all alone while everyone is doing something else. I'll go with you to talk some sense into that big idiot and then we'll get him back to the house. Sound good?" 

Klaus rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Sounds like a plan." 

It wasn’t long into the journey to find Luther that Klaus wanted to turn back. Both of you had to go on foot since he couldn’t drive and you definitely shouldn’t even attempt to get into the driver’s seat. You were pretty sure you would likely kill the both of you since your head was still hurting and half the time you were dizzy. 

“This is pointless. I’m just going to go home,” he told you while still clutching his stomach. You could see that he was shaking and pale. “I’m so dope sick,” he moaned as he started walking away from you. 

“Klaus!” You called. 

He suddenly stopped walking, but you weren’t sure if it was because of you or something else. “Look, I can just walk through you,” he said as he took a few steps forward. “Ta-da!” He turned and regarded the empty space in front of him. “Luther is going to get to experience the real world for once. Why would I stop him?” You watched as Klaus listened to whatever Ben said. Well, you assumed it was Ben, but you didn’t want to ask in case it stopped whatever conversation was happening. Ben had always been really good at helping you keep Klaus in line. “I know you weren’t ready to die violently at a young age,” Klaus started before he cut himself off. “Well, it's not my responsibility to save you or Luther!” 

“Okay,” you interjected, because you weren’t too happy about the direction the conversation seemed to be going. “Ben is right.” 

“You can’t even hear him!” Klaus yelled incredulously. “How do you know I’m even talking to Ben, huh? It could be anyone,” he said as he gestured around the alley. 

“I know it’s Ben, because I’ve heard you talking to him more than once. It just makes sense that you’re talking to him. Since I know it has to be Ben, I imagine he’s telling you that Luther wouldn’t hesitate to save you if he knew you needed help. And while Luther can be a gigantic dick, he still cares about you.” You took a step towards Klaus. “Besides, are you really going to leave me to find him all by myself with a head injury? I’m in so much pain, Klaus,” you groaned, trying to really play up your injuries and sound pathetic. 

Klaus growled something under his breath before he walked past you. “That’s not fair.” 

You grinned at his back before following after him. “I wasn’t trying to be.” You didn’t want to guilt trip Klaus into helping you, but if anything happened while you were out on your own, then you would likely be left there to succumb to your injuries by yourself. Besides, you really didn’t want Klaus wandering off by himself at the moment. You reached out to grab his hand once you were beside him. “After this, I’ll treat you to whatever kind of food you want, okay?” 

Klaus considered you for a moment before he sighed and nodded his head. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.” 

Later, after looking for Luther at seven bars, three strip joints, and a laundromat, you could tell that Klaus was about ready to give up again. Hell, at this point, you were about ready to give up the search too. Your head was killing you and you weren‘t sure how you were still standing at that moment. Your legs ached and if you stood still for long enough, then they would start to tremble. You wished you had your car, but it was too late to attempt to drive now. 

It wasn’t until you heard a girl going on and on about some big, hairy guy at a rave that you finally found Luther. You and Klaus entered the building that held the rave and you almost immediately regretted your decision to look for Luther. It was so loud and there were so many flashing lights. You felt like you were going to throw up within seconds of stepping foot into the room. Klaus clapped his hands to his ears and shook his head. 

“This is torture! I shouldn’t be here!” 

“Luther has to be here somewhere!” You shouted. It figured that he would pick the one place to have his crisis that would send your world spinning. 

It was then that the both of you noticed Luther dancing with his shirt off. “Oh no,” Klaus breathed before he pushed through the crowd to get to him. You followed him, hoping that Luther hadn’t done anything that would harm himself later on. You were sure that once he sobered up and remembered this moment, then he would feel embarrassed. Not to mention, he wasn’t used to drinking or doing drugs of any kind. Who knew what this would do to him? 

“Luther!” Klaus called. 

Luther looked down and noticed Klaus there. “Brother!” He jumped off the makeshift stage and pulled Klaus into a hug. “Sister!” He yelled once he saw you and pulled you into the crushing embrace as well. 

“Can’t breathe,” you gasped before Luther let you go and gave you an apologetic glance. 

“Luther, let’s go home!” Klaus yelled, already tugging on Luther’s arm. 

“No way! I’m having fun!” You looked down and noticed the pill in Luther’s hand. 

You weren’t quite sure what it was, but you had a good feeling about what it could be. It was then that a girl joined the group, flirting with Luther and taking his attention for the moment. Klaus grabbed the pill from Luther’s hand and you felt a moment of fear that he would take it, but he threw it across the room. 

“What did you do that for?” Luther asked, angry with Klaus. 

“We need to get out of here!” Klaus tried to tell him again. 

It seemed that the girl had her hooks in Luther, though, and Klaus was barely hanging on. The flashing lights and loud music were making your heart beat faster and your head was pounding so painfully that you could hardly breathe. You suddenly wished that Diego was there. You figured that out of everyone, he probably had the best shot at getting Luther to leave the rave early. If anything, he would probably find a way to piss Luther off enough that he would storm out. 

“It’s hopeless.” Klaus shook his head and moved to sit at the side of the stage. You could see him put his face in his hands. 

You took a deep breath. You didn’t want to push Klaus to do anything, since you knew that being here was probably overwhelming for him. You were barely managing yourself, but you knew that you had to keep going. 

Luther kept dancing with the girl. The room felt like it was spinning and you were just trying to hold on. You reached forward to tug on Luther’s belt loop. It was the only thing you could think of at the moment to get his attention. 

“Luther, this isn’t a good idea. You’re going to regret this in the morning. It’s a mistake!” You weren’t necessarily talking about the girl, but you noticed the glare she gave you. 

“Is this your girlfriend?” The girl asked Luther, her hands running up his chest. 

Luther shook his head. “She’s my sister.” 

The girl gave you a dismissive glance and leaned up to whisper something in Luther’s ear. You could just about imagine what she was telling him at the moment. 

“We don’t have time for this,” you groaned. You rolled your eyes and tugged on Luther’s arm. “Trust me, Luther! This isn’t a good idea. We’ll let you get drunk or high after we save the world, okay? There will be plenty of time for that once we’re not all dead.” 

“It doesn’t matter!” Luther yelled at you before he let the girl pull him back into the dance and his attention was gone from you. 

“Luther! Y/N! Help!” You turned to see Klaus on the back of a guy with a black bowler hat. You noticed the two men who must have been with the guy that Klaus was fighting. They looked like they were about to jump in and help their friend. There was no way that Klaus could take three guys by himself. You noticed that one of them was holding what looked like a baseball bat. You didn’t even want to imagine the type of damage that would inflict if it hit Klaus. 

You rushed forward to try to help Klaus, but it was then that the guy in the hat flung Klaus off his back and Klaus hit the floor. You turned to look at him and saw that he wasn’t getting back up. You felt fury and anger wash over you before launching yourself at the guy. Before you could make contact, something hit the back of your head. You dropped to the floor and you swore you could hear Diego telling you that if you hit your head one more time, then you would probably die. You weren’t dead, though. At least, you didn’t feel dead. Your ears were ringing and drowning out the sound of the music. Colors washed away and your head no longer hurt. You didn’t feel like you were dead. You were tired, though. Your eyes closed and everything faded away. 

You woke up to a grey world. You stared up at the sky, blinking a few times as you tried to process everything. You were just at a rave. And now you were outside? What was going on? Did that hit to the head rob you of your ability to see anything in color? 

“Oh, Y/N. There you are.” You didn’t recognize that voice. It was a woman? A little girl? You weren’t sure. 

You sat up to see Klaus standing there and staring at you in confusion. You wondered for a moment why his shirt was still in color before you noticed the girl on the bike. She looked so innocent and unassuming with her bicycle with flowers in the front. There was a feeling of power emanating from her, though. You got the sense that this was her world and you were invading it for now. 

“Who’s that?” You asked Klaus as you held a hand out to him. 

Klaus reached forward and helped you up off the ground. 

“I was just telling Klaus that he can’t stay here,” the girl informed you. She took a deep breath before she considered the both of you. “You have to go, Klaus. You have to go see him before your time is up.” 

“Him?” Klaus’ face lit up. “Dave?” He reached out to squeeze your wrist before he took off running towards a small shack off to your right. “I’m coming, Dave!” He yelled. 

You moved to follow him, but the girl stopped you. “Wait. I want to talk to you.” 

You looked over at her. You weren’t sure why you felt so nervous. “Yeah?” 

“I might not like him all that much,” she told you as she nodded over towards the shack Klaus had disappeared into. “But I’ve always appreciated you. You keep trying even when it‘s utterly hopeless. I like that spirit. You’re welcome to stay.” 

You glanced around at the new world around you before looking back at the girl. “Are you-?” You cut yourself off, because out of everything that had been happening lately, it just seemed too absurd. 

“I am.” She answered and then smiled at you. “You’ve fought long and hard to help the others. You can stay dead, you know. Your fight could be over. I’m sure I have something around here for you to do.” 

“Tempting,” you mused. “But they need me.” So you were dead after all and you figured that this was some sort of afterlife. It was peaceful, yet unsettling. Did this count as the death you were supposed to experience before the apocalypse happened? This wasn’t anything like what had been detailed in the newspaper. Surely this couldn’t be the end. 

“Isn’t that always the way?” She winked at you before she sighed. “I guess I’ll be seeing you soon enough. It’s about time you woke up, though.” 

It was then that everything went dark for one startling second. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest and breath rushing through your lungs. There were whispers and music that led you back to consciousness. You came to on the floor with a crowd of people waiting around you. They were all watching you, but you noticed that not one of them was doing a damn thing to help you. 

You sat up and noticed that Klaus was just waking up as well. He looked just as disoriented as you felt at the moment. Was any of what had just happened real? Did you really die or was it some weird dream? You shared a look with him and shook your head. “What the hell?” 

Klaus quickly stood up and ushered you up off the floor. “We need to go,” he told you. He looked around at the crowd. “Luther!” 

“The bouncer kicked him out!” You heard someone yell back. 

Klaus led you out of the building. You shivered once you stepped outside. “Were we dead?” You asked. Although the being or deity or whatever had just confirmed it for you, you still couldn’t believe it. You felt like you were in shock. 

“Pretty much,” Klaus answered. “At least that’s what Dad told me.” 

“Whoa,” you breathed out on a sigh. That was your first true brush with death. It didn’t feel like it had been real at all. Maybe it had been some kind of shared dream with Klaus. You were pretty sure you saw a movie about that once. “You saw Hargreeves?” You asked once you focused on the rest of Klaus’ words. 

“I saw Dad.” Klaus confirmed with a nod of his head. “He was the same asshole that he’s always been.” 

You froze just outside the building where the rave had been held. “What did he say?” 

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, not meeting your eyes. “The usual. We’re all big disappointments. Me most of all. It’s not important right now. We should be going.” 

You had a feeling that he was hiding something, but you weren’t sure you were in the right frame of mind to question him about it. “Back to the mansion?” 

Klaus nodded his head. “Where else? The others must be back by now. We should convene and share information or whatever we’re supposed to be doing.” 

You wondered why he was so determined to get back to the Academy. You figured it was something that Hargreeves told him. As much as you wanted to find out what Klaus knew, you just wanted to go home. _Your_ home. Even if it was only for a few moments. You missed being surrounded by your things and your furniture. You didn’t want to go back to your childhood home. You just wanted one moment to breathe and you felt like you could only do that once you were safely ensconced in your apartment. 

“Look, you go there and I’ll meet up with you, okay?” You weren’t sure if it was some kind of odd gift from the girl, but your headache was mostly gone. You didn’t feel so sick to your stomach anymore. The world was still spinning a bit and your body ached, but you didn’t feel like you were about to tilt over at any moment. Maybe death had brought you some sort of peace after all, even though you were alive again. 

“What? No. I’m not leaving you alone,” Klaus insisted. “What about your head?” 

“I feel better. Honestly,” you said when Klaus gave you a disbelieving look. “I just need to go to my apartment for something and I’ll meet you back at the Academy, okay?” 

Klaus considered you for a moment before he nodded his head. He pulled you into a hug before he walked away, leaving you to make the trek to your apartment alone. When you got there, you were surprised to notice that someone with a coin was near your apartment. You didn’t immediately recognize which one it was, though. As you slowly took the stairs, you concentrated on the coin. It took you longer than usual to sense the name and number on the token. “Allison?” You whispered to yourself. 

You hurried up the rest of the stairs and saw her standing just outside the door to your apartment. “Hey, sis,” she greeted you. “Feel like running an errand with me?” 

You raised an eyebrow at that but moved to let the both of you into your apartment. “What kind of errand? And why are you wearing your coin?” She hadn’t bothered to have it on her in years. “Why are you asking me? How’d you know I’d be here?” 

“So many questions,” she said with a laugh as she held up a hand as if to ward off more questions. “I knew you weren’t at the Academy, so I figured you might end up here.” She took a deep breath before speaking again. “Diego got arrested again,” she informed you. 

“What? We need to get him out of there,” you insisted. “We should at least --” 

She held up a hand again to stop the rest of what you were going to say. “We don’t have time for that right now. But I do have the file on Harold Jenkins and I think you’re going to want to take a look at it.” 

She handed the file over to you and you flipped it open. You froze at the sight of the photo there. “That creepy motherfucker,” you hissed. Leonard’s picture stared up at you from the file. You quickly skimmed the information, not wanting to believe that Vanya’s new boyfriend was a convicted murderer. Apparently, according to Five and his Temps Commission, he was also the one responsible for the apocalypse. 

“Diego and I were going to go find him when he got arrested. He wasn’t at his house when we checked and Vanya isn’t answering her phone. We think they’re at his grandmother’s home. Are you going to go with me?” She looked hopeful and you understood why she wouldn’t want to go alone. If Leonard or Harold or whoever the hell was as dangerous as you thought, then Vanya was in trouble. Between your power and Allison’s, it should be easy enough to get her away from Leonard and hopefully take care of the problem before there was one. 

You nodded your head and rushed to grab what you would need. “On one condition,” you told her. You handed her a belt that had enough metal in it that it would help you sense her and use your power on her if you needed. “If you wear this. That way, if anything happens and I need to move you, then I’ll be able to.” 

She considered the belt for a few moments before she nodded and wound it around her waist. “I thought you would want to do something like this,” she told you. 

“Is that why you’ve got the coin on you?” 

She nodded as she finally finished securing the belt. “That and I knew it would make you feel better. Did it?” She asked as she glanced up at you. 

You offered her a smile and nodded your head. “Thank you.” 

She reached out and pulled you into a quick hug. “Let’s go, then,” she said before she pulled away from you. 

“Wait,” you started. “I have to do something really quick.” You realized that you told Klaus you would meet him back at the Academy, but this errand with Allison would delay that. You weren’t sure how long you would be gone, but you hoped that it wouldn’t take too long. 

“Sure,” she agreed with a nod of her head. 

You rushed over to your phone and called the mansion. You listened to the line ring before it switched over to voicemail. “Hey guys,” you said. “Klaus or Diego or whoever ends up listening to this. I know I said I’d come back to the Academy, but Allison needs me to help her with something first. I’ll be there later, okay? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.” You took a deep breath and pressed the phone back into the cradle. You stared down at it for a few seconds. You had a really bad feeling about this, but you weren’t sure why. 

“Are you sure it should just be the two of us? What about Five?” 

Allison shook her head. “Five is hurt. He had a piece of shrapnel in his side and collapsed earlier. He’s going to be okay, though.” 

That must have been the extra metal you sensed on him that morning. You wished that you had pushed the issue and made him admit that he was injured sooner. You didn’t know where Luther had wandered off to and Diego was in jail. You knew that Klaus would help if you asked, but you were sure he was still going through withdrawal. You told yourself that you were sure you and Allison could handle the problem. Besides, it would give you an opportunity to try to get closer to her like you tried to accomplish with Luther that morning. Maybe a bonding road trip was just what you two needed at the moment, even if you were facing almost certain danger. 

You turned to look at Allison and nodded your head to let her know that you were ready. You felt sweaty and gross from being in the middle of the rave earlier. You couldn’t remember the last time you were able to take a shower that you didn't rush through and your clothes were practically sticking to your skin. You still weren’t quite over the fact that you had technically died earlier. You probably should reconsider taking more backup or at least take a nap or something, but you got the sense that you didn’t really have any time to waste. Vanya was likely in danger and you wanted to go help Allison save her. 

“Hey,” Allison said. ”You okay?” 

“Peachy,” you replied with a forced grin. 

She considered you for a few more moments before she led you out of your apartment. You knew that the countdown on the apocalypse was ticking down. As you followed Allison outside and to her car, you couldn’t help but hope that it wouldn’t take too long to rescue Vanya from Leonard. And if you got the chance to drive something metal through Leonard’s skull? Then you would take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting down to the final three chapters now. Next chapter will focus on the reader's relationship with Allison, but don't worry. There's going to be plenty of opportunity for Diego and the reader to get back on track. ;) And if you have a bad feeling about the next chapter, well...you'll see what's going to happen. :D 
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have read this, given kudos, left comments, or bookmarked this fic. You guys are really the best. I always have these doubts and I'll end up thinking that my writing sucks and no one could possibly ever want to read anything I write. You guys help get me through those moments. So, thank you. ♥ If you guys want to follow me on Tumblr, then you can find me [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bucky4cap45). Let me know that it's you and I'll follow back! ♥


	8. Explode Without a Decent Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for violence in this chapter.

When you were in your early twenties, Klaus was arrested. From what you gathered from his phone call, he was brought in on charges of theft and possession. 

“So you stole some candy and they threw you in jail?” That sounded a bit far-fetched to you. 

“Don’t forget the pills I offered to the cops in exchange for my freedom,” Klaus added. “But I’ve got to wrap this up. They want me to meet my new cellmate or something. Who knows?” 

Only Klaus, you couldn’t help but think with an exasperated sigh. “Just be careful, okay? I’ll get you out of there as soon as I can.” 

“Thanks,” Klaus said before the call disconnected. 

Diego had washed out of the police academy, but he helped you get Klaus out of jail by pulling a few strings. You asked Allison for help as well, since you knew that she would be able to afford a good lawyer for Klaus. She even offered to use her power to get him out sooner, but you didn't want to risk Allison getting in trouble as well. When you asked Hargreeves for help in getting his supposed son out of jail, he refused to even think about it. He outright dismissed your request and told you it was probably better for him if he stayed there to learn his lesson. 

That was one of the last times you ever spoke to Hargreeves. Thankfully, Diego and Allison came through and Klaus got out within a few weeks. He would have to do community service, but it was better than the alternative. 

You picked him up once he was released and drove him back to your apartment afterwards. 

“I met the most interesting people in there,” he told you as he rifled through your glove compartment for a pack of cigarettes. 

“You know I don’t smoke,” you reminded him. “We can stop by the store, though.” 

Klaus nodded his head and leaned back in the passenger seat. “So hey, thanks for getting me out of there." 

You shrugged your shoulders. "I didn't do all that much." 

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. I know anyone else would have let me to rot in there. I’m sure dear old dad didn’t even lift a finger to help you. Maybe the others would have been tempted to visit, but they wouldn't have helped me like you did." 

"Well, I couldn't have done it without Diego and Allison." You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. “How was it in there?” 

"You know, I met the weirdest guy," Klaus told you as he put his feet up on your dashboard. 

"Yeah? If _you're_ calling him weird, then he must be really weird," you commented, throwing him a wink to let him know you were kidding. 

"Ha ha. You're hilarious," he said with a roll of his eyes. "It was some guy who was obsessed with all of us. He kept asking me questions about the Academy and our childhood. He was especially interested in you and your power," he told you as he reached out to pinch your cheek. "Maybe it's because you're just so cute." 

You swatted his hand away and shook your head. "It's just another one of those stalkers. Remember when we would find people trying to get into the mansion or hiding in the dumpster just to get pictures of us?" 

"Yeah," Klaus agreed. "I remember, but there was something a little too intense about him." He shrugged his shoulders and started messing with the car radio. "He's locked up, though, so he's probably not going to be a problem." 

You hoped that was true. You had had enough of crazed fans to last a lifetime. 

Now, as you sought a conversation topic to bring up with Allison, you couldn't help but think back to Klaus' revelations about prison. Was Harold Jenkins yet another intense fan? Allison had told you about the ruined pictures of the Academy members. He had posters and printed out interviews. He even had a copy of Vanya’s book and the full collection of your novels. They found VHS tapes of Allison’s movies and the full set of Umbrella Academy action figures. It seemed like he had been keeping tabs on all of you for years. 

You watched as the car passed streetlights, mesmerized for a few moments before you sighed. "So, got any good gossip?" 

Allison raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment. 

You had something you wanted to ask about, but you weren't sure how she would take it. You didn't want to offend her. You were stuck in the car with her for a little while longer and then you would have to depend on her to potentially save your life if anything went wrong. If you pissed her off now, then it would just make things awkward. However, you were feeling a bit impulsive. "So, what happened with you and Patrick?" 

Allison sighed and shook her head. "You just had to ask, huh?" 

"Well, I figured this is sort of a sister bonding trip, right? I mean, we're at least friends and everything. I figured we could gossip or trade information. Whatever passes the time." Not to mention, you were bored and nosy as hell. 

Allison kept her focus on the road for a few minutes and you worried that you had overstepped a boundary. If she didn't want to talk about Patrick, then that was okay. You could respect that. You settled on the thought of just being quiet for the rest of the trip before she began talking. 

"Things were already a bit rocky between us," she started. "We fought often and I was usually busy with my job. He accused me of not taking time for Claire. I love her more than anyone," Allison said on a sigh. "He caught me using my power on her. I was exhausted and I just wanted her to go to sleep. She kept asking me for stories about you guys and I told her that I heard a rumor that she was tired. Patrick saw it and that was the last straw." 

"Oh," you breathed, at a loss for what to say. It was a complicated situation. You knew that Allison loved her daughter. You could see the guilt in her expression as she relayed the story to you. "You know, I'm sure things will work out. We'll stop the apocalypse and you can go see her." 

Allison offered you an unsure smile. "I hope so. We're really cutting it close, though. I can't bear the thought of losing her." 

"I know," you told her and briefly touched her shoulder, trying to show her that you were there for her. "We all have a lot to lose." 

"Speaking of uncomfortable situations," Allison started and you just knew that she was going to bring up something you weren't going to want to talk about. Turn-about was fair play, though, you guessed. "Why didn't you want any of us to know about your murder?" 

Well, that was way better than what you were expecting. You half-thought she would bring up Diego or Klaus or something. "I just thought that the whole apocalypse thing was more important," you said as you shifted in your seat, trying to get more comfortable. You were tired and wanted to go to sleep, but you were glad to be spending time with Allison. You also didn't want to fall asleep and then leave her virtually alone on the drive to Leonard's grandmother's cabin. "I didn't want it to become something that you guys focused on. If I died, then I died," you reasoned with a shrug of your shoulders. 

She reached out to pinch your arm. 

"Ow! What the hell, Allison?" 

"If you died, then it would destroy us. Don't you remember what it was like after Ben?" 

"Yeah," you sighed. Those were some of the worst moments of your life. "But the apocalypse is supposed to happen soon. I just couldn't help but think that it was my life against the lives of billions." 

She glanced at you out of the corner of her eye before she nodded her head. "I understand why you thought that, but in case there is a next time, then please tell us. We could have figured this all out days ago if you and Five had just been more forthcoming with information." 

"I guess," you conceded, turning to stare out your window. A heavy silence filled the car for a few moments, so you decided to try to lighten the mood. "So, what's going on with you and Luther?" You grinned at Allison and waggled your eyebrows. 

"Really, Y/N? You're the worst," she said on a laugh. "What's going on with you and Diego? Or you and Klaus for that matter? You're close to the both of them." 

You blinked at her for a few moments, because you were only sure about how to answer one of those questions. "Klaus is my best friend. Sometimes it's like we share a brain, you know? We've been through so much together. There's the shared trauma of our childhood and everything else. I don't know what I'd do without him. Diego," you trailed off, not sure how to finish that. "It's complicated." 

"You sure about that?" The tone of her voice had you wondering if you were missing something. 

"Why? What do you know?" You sat up in your seat, suddenly alert. “Did Diego say something to you?” 

Allison shook her head, but it seemed like she was hiding something from you. "I just see the way you two are together. I think you need to consider the possibility that he loves you." 

You snorted at that. "Yeah. As a sister," you said with a grimace. 

"No. It's definitely not like that," she denied with a quick shake of her head. 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's the way he looks at you. Like you're the center of his world. You've never noticed?" 

"Uh, no, because he doesn't," you tried to argue. 

"Okay, think of it this way. Klaus is your best friend, right? But you were in love with him when we were younger." 

"How the hell did you know that?" You were mortified at the thought that everyone in the house knew. Or, God forbid, she had read your teenage diary at some point. 

"It was obvious," she reached out to pat your hand. "Sorry to tell you." 

"Ugh," you groaned and sank down in your seat. "How obvious?" 

"That's not important. I also know you were in love with Diego. Or you still are." 

"Does everyone know about this?" You asked as humiliation started to overcome you. 

"I don't think so," she laughed. "At least Luther doesn't. Klaus might be clueless too. But the point is that your feelings for Diego never changed, right? I know that because you also look at him like he's the center of your world sometimes. It's not the same way you look at Klaus now. Diego looks at you in the exact same way. You've just never realized it." 

"But when we were sixteen, he shot me down." You couldn’t help but wonder if you had allowed that one moment to define your relationship with Diego for years. All this time you were convinced he could never feel the same way. Had things changed between the two of you and you never noticed? Were you blinded by the hurt you experienced when you were sixteen? 

"So? We were sixteen. Diego has trouble talking about things like that and maybe he didn't feel that way at the time. It was kind of hard to do anything with Hargreeves watching our every move. He made surveillance footage of us and not home movies, Y/N. Maybe Diego just didn't get there as soon as you did, but I think he's there now. You should tell him you still love him," she said as she glanced at you. "Before it's too late." 

"Yeah," you agreed. But you weren't sure if you could go through with it. You had been holding onto these feelings for years. If you were wrong and made an idiot out of yourself again, then you wouldn't know what to do. Although, you guessed that the world was supposed to end soon. There wouldn't be much to be embarrassed about if you and the others weren't successful. "You know," you started. "You never did answer my question about Luther." 

"Funny how that happened, right?" She smirked at you before focusing back on the road. 

You reached out to swat at her before you leaned back in your seat. "We almost there?" The sky was beginning to brighten and you knew that it would be full daylight soon. 

"I think so," she said. After a few moments, she started slowing down before turning onto a dirt road. "Did you ever hate me?" She asked, catching you off-guard. 

"What? Why would I hate you?" 

"Because I always got everything I ever wanted. All I had to do was say the words 'I heard a rumor.'" 

You really didn't mean to, but you couldn't help but flinch at the words. 

"Are you scared of me?" She sounded a bit incredulous, but you knew that she was ready to believe it. 

"No," you denied as you shook your head. "It's not that, okay? I'm not afraid of you. I just spent years of my childhood terrified at the thought that Hargreeves would make you use your power on me." 

"Dad wouldn't have done that." She frowned and glanced at you. "Would he?" 

"He was a terrible bastard. You don't even want to know about some of the shit he did." 

"Then tell me. You and Diego and even Klaus all seem to hate him. I get that he was cold and wasn't really all that great of a father, but what did he do to you?" 

You sighed and looked out the window. You watched the trees as the car passed them and hoped that you would get to the cabin before you would have to tell her anything, but it seemed that you weren't there yet. "He used to lock me up." You meant to say more, but just remembering it was enough for you at the moment. 

"Wait," Allison said, almost stopping the car. "He locked you up?" 

You nodded your head. "Me. And Klaus," you added, hoping that you weren't betraying his trust. "It was to train our powers. We were only kids, though. He'd leave us in a room by ourselves for hours or days depending on what he wanted us to do. He'd lock Klaus up in a mausoleum to try to force him to get over his fear of the dead." 

"Oh," Allison said, obviously stunned. The car began picking up speed again. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I didn't know." 

You shrugged your shoulders. "It wasn't just that, you know. It was the way he treated us. Like we were nothing more than an experiment. Like he was testing us to see how far he could push us before we broke." You let out a snort of derision. "I'd say he succeeded since we're all pretty broken now." 

Allison reached out and grabbed your hand. "We're not broken. We have each other." 

You sniffled and tried your best to keep from crying. You hated thinking of your childhood. You hated that Hargreeves had left such an impression on you. “Thanks, Allison." 

She squeezed your hand and then put her hand back on the steering wheel. "Any time. You’re my sister and I love you. I know we lost contact for a while there, but I’d like to spend more time together.” The car began to slow down and she nodded over towards the right. “I think we're here," she mentioned as she pulled up to the cabin. 

"A cabin in the woods," you said with a nervous laugh. "What could go wrong?" 

She shot you an exasperated look before she got out of the car. You followed her and tried to release the tension from your shoulders. You looked around. "No car," you mused. "Think they're here?" 

Allison gestured towards the cabin. "Only one way to find out." 

After walking around the cabin and peeking into windows, you concluded that Vanya and Leonard weren't there. Allison did point out that Vanya's violin was there, though. 

"So what do we do now?" You asked. "Wait for them?" 

Allison shook her head. "Maybe we should check out the town. They might have gone out for breakfast." 

"Sure," you agreed with a nod. You gestured back towards the car. "After you." 

She rolled her eyes at you and started making the journey back to the car. You couldn't help but track her movements by focusing on the coin she had on her. There was a part of you that felt just a bit more whole knowing that she cared enough to carry it now. Now if only you could get Luther to agree to carry his, then you might even feel better about this whole apocalypse business. 

Of course, after sitting in traffic for a couple of hours, you regretted going along with Allison's plan. "Why are we barely moving?" 

Allison nodded towards where you could just see the flashing lights on a cop car. When you squinted, you could even make out crime scene tape. 

As the car slowly inched forward, you tried to see if you could feel Vanya's coin anywhere. It wasn't back at the cabin, so you hoped that she had it on her. You couldn't sense it, though. You wondered if you could reach out with your power like you had done when you were searching for Klaus. Maybe if you concentrated hard enough, then you could pick up on it. Although, after what happened the last time, you were a little wary about following after the pull of the coins. 

The car was stuck just beside a building that claimed to be the Bearskin Tavern. "Hold on," Allison muttered. She sat forward and practically leaned over the dashboard trying to get a glimpse of something. "Stay here," she said before she got out of the car. 

"Wait," you called, but Allison had already shut the door and left you alone in the car. "Great," you muttered to yourself. You tracked the movement of her coin and the belt you loaned her as she moved over towards a sign. You noticed then what had caught her attention. "Is that Vanya's scarf?" You reached out for the door handle, but Allison was now talking to a cop and you didn't want to interrupt. Besides, if traffic moved forward, you didn't want her to get a ticket for leaving her car. 

You watched as Allison talked to the officer. You had to fight the urge to get out of the car several times. You weren't sure what was going on. Was Vanya hurt? Did something happen to her? If Leonard hurt her, then you wouldn't stop to hurt him. Why was her scarf here, but she was nowhere to be found? There were a lot of things that weren’t adding up at the moment and it was beginning to drive you crazy. 

You were just about ready to throw caution to the wind and get out of the car, but it was then that Allison walked back to the car. She didn’t say anything to you as she pulled out of traffic and started following a cop car. "What the hell are we doing?" 

"Vanya must have been there," she informed you as she held up the scarf. "There was some kind of fight here last night and I think she was there when it happened. Probably Leonard too. So, I told the cop I was working on a movie part and I asked if me and my assistant could shadow him for a bit." 

You raised your eyebrow at her and turned in your seat to consider her. "I'm your assistant now?" 

She smirked at you and nodded her head. "Better start getting my coffee order right." 

You rolled your eyes, amused for the moment. You couldn’t help but worry, though. Was Vanya in trouble? You had that feeling again. It was the one that told you that danger was right around the corner. You wished your power involved precognition, because you wanted nothing more than to know how events were about to unfold. You had a bad feeling, though. Something was going to happen and you were sure that it would spell doom for at least one of you. 

The cop, Sergeant Cheddar, was there to see a Mr. Luntz. Apparently the man had been involved in the altercation at the Bearskin Tavern the night before. Thankfully, once Allison told the officer that you were her assistant, he more or less ignored you. It gave you time to fade into the background and listen to the story that Mr. Luntz told. 

Mr. Luntz said Leonard had paid him and two other guys to start a fight. He wanted them to beat him up in front of Vanya. But why? What was the point? Leonard was a killer, sure, but you didn't think he would have killed two men and put another in critical condition in public. Did Vanya do something? You couldn’t wrap your mind around that, though. Vanya had always been a bit of a gentle soul. She couldn’t stand for anything to be hurt or in pain. You really didn’t think that she was capable of murder, although it would have been in self-defense. Maybe she felt like she had no other choice? You pondered that train of thought until the man mentioned that he and the others gave Vanya trouble and harassed her. You instinctively reached out with your power, barely restraining yourself from using your power to hurt the man even more. Allison met your gaze and you knew that she had the same urge. 

"All hell broke loose," the man explained. "I don't even know what happened." 

“Was the man about medium height? Brown hair? Kind of mousy?” Allison asked as she used her hand to try to illustrate how tall Leonard was to Mr. Luntz. 

“Creepy as hell?” You muttered under your breath, but you had a feeling that everyone else in the room still heard you. 

“Wait,” the cop blurted. He beckoned Allison over as he stepped towards you. “Is there any movie role or was that just a lie?” 

You shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t think we’re at liberty to discuss that now. The studio would frown on it.” 

“Cut the bullshit,” the cop snapped, meeting your gaze. “You guys are somehow connected to this. Now tell me what’s going on.” 

“Look, the guy that did this to him has our sister,” Allison explained. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up book jacket of Vanya’s tell-all novel. She turned towards Mr. Luntz and held up the side that had Vanya’s author photo. “Please, can you tell us if this was the woman with him?” 

A nurse entered the room then, cutting off whatever the man in the hospital bed was about to say. “I’m sorry. The doctor has ordered more tests, so your questions will have to wait.” 

“Of course,” Sergeant Cheddar said and ushered you and Allison out of the room. 

You stood a couple of feet away and listened as he chastised Allison for lying to him. 

“This guy that has my sister is bad news,” Allison told him. “We have to go after him. We have to find them.” 

“I don’t know if I can believe anything you say now,” the cop said. “Is she even your assistant?” He asked as he gestured towards you. 

You shrugged your shoulders. “Not really,” you answered. 

The cop groaned. “What am I even going to do with you two?” 

“You could help us,” you offered. “You know, like you’re kind of paid to do?” 

Allison shushed you and then asked you to go get her a cup of coffee. You rolled your eyes, but left to track down coffee for her. You figured she was just getting you out of the way so that she could try to charm any information out of the cop that she could. You knew that she was trying to accomplish things without her power, but you couldn’t help but wish she would make an exception now. Vanya could be in serious danger. The longer she was in Leonard’s company, the more uneasy you felt. 

When you got back, it was to see the cop gone and Allison looking concerned. 

“What happened?” You handed over the cup of coffee you got her and took a sip of your own. 

“Mr. Luntz disappeared. The nurse said she took him to x-ray and then couldn’t find him afterwards.” She shook her head and glanced up and down the hospital hallway. You wondered who or what she was looking for. “She told me that Vanya was with Leonard this morning. They must have been here when we were at the cabin. They could be back there by now.” 

You nodded your head and finished off the rest of your cup of coffee. “Where did the cop go?” 

“He went looking for Mr. Luntz. He wants us to stay here, but I think we should go after Leonard now.” 

You agreed. The cop was only going to slow you both down. The sooner you got to Vanya, then the better the outcome. If you waited too long, then you ran the risk of Vanya getting hurt. “Then let’s go.” 

The ride to Leonard’s grandmother’s cabin was tense. There was a sense of anticipation, but also dread, that filled you. You didn’t know what you would find once you arrived. Would it be Leonard standing over a dead Vanya with a bloody knife in his hand? Would it be Vanya and Leonard fighting? You really hoped they weren’t having sex when you got there. You loved Vanya, but there were some things you really didn’t want to see. 

When you got back to the cabin, the wind was blowing in strong gusts. You watched as the trees swayed and the windchimes on the porch flew about. “What’s going on?” You glanced up at the sky, but it didn’t look like it was about to rain. Whatever was causing it felt powerful. 

“Let’s see if Vanya is inside,” Allison said as she nodded towards the cabin. 

You rushed after Allison into the cabin. Every step felt like it was taking too long to complete. You wished for Five’s power of teleportation then. You could just blink into the cabin and know right away what was going on in there. 

When the both of you opened the door, you were glad to see Vanya standing there and playing her violin. It seemed like she was alone in the room. She turned to look at the two of you. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“What’s going on?” Allison asked. “What’s causing this?” She looked around the cabin, and you noticed that the wind was blowing in here too. How was that even possible? The door was closed behind you now and the windows were shut. Where was it coming from? 

“It’s me.” Vanya admitted. “It’s my power.” She raised her chin and fixed the both of you with a look as if daring you to argue with her. You could tell that she was sure that the both of you wouldn’t believe her. 

“That’s incredible,” Allison said. 

“You think so?” Vanya looked like she was still ready for a fight or argument. You weren’t sure why. Surely she should know that you would be happy for her. You knew how much she longed for a power when you were younger. You wondered why it manifested so late, but you were proud of her for seemingly handling the revelation so well. 

“Definitely,” you agreed as you took a few steps closer to Vanya. “Do you think you’ve had a power this whole time? That’s exciting,” you told her with a grin. You cautiously walked forward and pulled her into a hug. She was stiff at first, but she wrapped her arms around your waist, pressing her bow and violin into your back. “How did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

Vanya pulled back and rested her violin down on the armchair behind her. “It was Leonard. He’s been helping me train.” 

“Look, about Leonard,” Allison started. You didn’t even realize that she held Leonard’s file in her hand. You had been so focused on finding Vanya earlier that you were worried you might have missed something else. Was Leonard in the cabin somewhere? You thought if he was there, then you would have heard him by now. Or maybe Vanya would have mentioned it. 

You listened as Allison explained that Leonard Peabody was actually Harold Jenkins. Vanya looked like she didn’t want to believe Allison. She sat down in the armchair behind her, moving her violin out of the way. She kept her hold on her bow, though. She stared down at it in contemplation. 

“He murdered his dad, Vanya,” you spoke up. “When he was just thirteen. And he’s been obsessed with all of us for whatever reason. He’s up to something.” 

“Come with us,” Allison pleaded. “It’s not safe for you here. With him.” 

“I can’t believe it,” Vanya said as she shook her head. 

“We have the police report, Vanya,” you reminded her. “Just take a look at it.” 

Vanya shook her head. She was still using her power, but you weren’t quite sure what she was really doing. You could see a few papers fluttering and the windchimes out on the porch were still making noise. “I love him, though. He’s helped me. He’s been there for me.” 

“Has he really?” You couldn’t help but wonder. “You can do better, Vanya. He doesn’t deserve you. You’re smart and caring. You’re so talented and you don’t even see it,” you said as you took a step closer to her, not sure of your welcome. “He’s using you. Five says he’s going to end the world.” 

“No,” Vanya denied. “I know him. He wouldn’t do something like that. He loves me.” 

“I love you. We love you,” Allison said as she knelt down in front of Vanya. “We just want to be here for you. We’re trying to warn you.” 

Vanya was starting to hyperventilate. You moved forward to put your hand on her shoulder, but she shook you off. You frowned and took a couple of steps away. You knew that you were being harsh where Leonard was concerned, but Vanya needed to hear it. You felt like it was the only way to try to get through to her. You could see now that Leonard had spent this time isolating Vanya from you and the others. He had been in her ear this whole time probably trying to drive home the point that she didn’t belong with anyone but him. If she was that attached to a guy she had only known for a few days, then he had really done a number on her. 

You listened to Allison try to comfort Vanya. You felt like something was off, though. Vanya’s powers, whatever they did, were causing everything to still whip about in the wind. Did she give off energy? Did she affect the weather somehow? What the hell was going on? 

“I remember now,” Allison was saying. 

You were torn out of your thoughts as you listened to her tell Vanya about when Hargreeves had made her use her power on Vanya when they were only four years old. That had always been one of your worst fears and to hear that Hargreeves had actually done something like that was enough to make you hate the man even more. What was so terrible about being patient with Vanya and training her? Although, you couldn’t help but think that maybe Vanya got off easy. Hargreeves had put you and the others through the wringer in the name of training your powers. However, you remembered how lost and lonely Vanya seemed as a child. Maybe with or without her powers, having Hargreeves as her adopted father would have messed everything up anyways. 

Vanya and Allison were arguing now. Vanya had stood from the chair and was backed up near the door. You were worried she was going to run. You couldn’t help but think that if she was that defensive, then maybe the best course of action was taking Leonard out of the equation. Without him, there wasn’t all that much of a problem, right? 

Allison was still standing near the armchair that Vanya had been sitting in just moments before. Your back was to one of the windows in the living area. You weren’t sure if you needed to go to Vanya or Allison. Maybe you needed to stay out of it. You weren’t used to something like this happening. Vanya’s power was strong from what you could feel and you didn’t know what she could do with it. You couldn’t help but think that you and Allison might be the ones in danger now. If Vanya didn’t have complete control over her power, then this could easily go bad for the both of you. For the first time that you could remember, you were actually a bit apprehensive of Vanya. 

“You’re just jealous,” Vanya screamed. “You’re threatened by me, aren’t you?” 

“Vanya,” you started. “We love you. You’ve always been important to us. To _me_. I only want you to be safe.” 

“I don’t believe you!” She was coiled tight in rage. You knew she felt betrayed, but you could only hope that she wouldn’t take it out on Allison. 

“Hargreeves was an arrogant son of a bitch. He should have done better by you. We were only kids, Vanya! Don’t blame Allison for Hargreeves’ mistake!” 

“She knew this whole time! She knew I had a power and she was just jealous that I was special too!” 

“Of course you’re special,” Allison said. “You’ve always been special. We can start over now. It can be different.” 

Vanya scoffed and shook her head. “You destroyed my life. All this time I was made to feel like I was less than the rest of you. But it’s not going to be like that anymore.” 

“You’ve never been less than us, Vanya! If anything, you’re more,” you tried to console her. 

It seemed like there was a storm starting up right there in the room. Papers were flying all over the place. The chandelier above Allison was swaying and you were worried it was going to fall on her. You reached out with your power to try and steady it while you attempted to ground yourself. If you started freaking out now, then your power would go haywire like Vanya’s was doing now. 

“I love you,” Allison told Vanya. 

“Stop saying that!” Vanya shouted. “You need to go and leave me alone. I have Leonard now. I don’t need you. Either of you,” she added as she cast a glance in your direction. 

Allison glanced around the room. It seemed that she was also beginning to notice just how out of control Vanya was in that moment. “Everything is going crazy. Are you okay?” 

It was then that the lights in the chandelier exploded. You and Allison gasped. 

“Please don’t make me do this,” Allison pleaded with Vanya. 

“Go!” Vanya yelled as she gestured at the door behind her with the bow that was still in her hand. 

You could tell that something was about to happen. You didn't know what was about to go down, but you knew that it had the potential to be catastrophic. You were already gripping onto the belt Allison wore and her coin when she said the words that would seal her fate. 

"I heard a rumor," she started as a tear fell from her eye and slipped down her cheek. 

By the time Vanya had struck out with her power, you were already pushing Allison down to the floor with your ability. You didn't get the chance to see if Vanya did any damage, because the wave of energy had you flying back through the window behind you. The window shattered and you landed hard on the wrap-around porch, gasping as the breath was knocked out of you. You were sure there was a shard of glass sticking into the back of your leg, but other than that, you couldn't feel any other pain. You looked down to see a bright splash of red on the front of your shirt and when you lifted the hem, it was to see a deep cut across your abdomen. "Shit," you breathed, your hand shaking. So, you were hurt, but you just couldn't feel it yet. Was that a bad thing? You had a feeling that it was. You were probably in shock. But if Vanya had done this to you, then what did she do to Allison? What if you didn't push her down in time? You groaned and tried to push yourself up, but suddenly there was a boot pressing into your chest and holding you down. 

"You know, I'm so glad you came to me. It saves me from finding you," you heard Leonard say. 

You squinted up at him and hissed in a breath. “Why the hell would you be looking for me?” 

He pressed down harder with his boot until you let out a wheeze and then he knelt down beside you. 

"You've been a thorn in my side since I started working with Vanya," he whispered. He pressed his hand down on the cut on your abdomen and you barely stopped the scream that wanted to claw free from your throat. “Your power always posed a problem for me, but I have the perfect solution.” He reached out to grab something out of your line of sight. "I bet you're not going to be a problem anymore," he mused before he slammed a huge shard of glass into your chest. 

You gasped in a sharp breath, your vision whiting out for a moment. You looked down in shock to see blood everywhere. The glass was off-center and to the right, so he probably didn't get your heart, but it was close enough to cause damage. You couldn't do anything but gasp for breath, your chest rising and falling rapidly, which you figured wouldn't help your case at all. 

Leonard smirked down at you before he got up and jogged around the corner of the porch. You heard Vanya screaming Allison's name, but you couldn't focus long enough to try to figure out what was happening. You brought a hand up to the shard of glass sticking out of your chest, your hands slipping on the blood. You knew you weren't supposed to pull it out, so you had to fight down the urge. 

Everything seemed to go by in flashes after that. You could hear footsteps running towards you. Vanya was standing over you and crying. Leonard was telling her that it was an accident. You wanted to tell her that Leonard was at fault, but you couldn’t manage to say any words. You were trying your best to keep breathing and not panic. Your throat felt like it was on fire with how rapidly you were breathing. You didn’t want to hyperventilate. You needed to calm down, but it felt like control was slipping away from you. 

Leonard went on to claim that he found you and tried to stop the bleeding, but that it was no use. He told Vanya that she didn't mean to do that to her sisters, but that the others wouldn't understand, so they had to get out of there. Vanya's hand was trembling as she reached out to touch your cheek and it was then that you finally closed your eyes, not able to say anything or think past the receding pain and the feeling of numbness that was slowly overtaking you. 

They left. You opened and closed your eyes several times, your breaths labored as you stared up at the wooden beams above you. You wished for a moment that you could see the stars from where you were lying, because you thought that would be a beautiful thing to see before you died. 

For several moments, your body seemed to go haywire. You were either hyperventilating, or you could barely pull in a breath. Your heart was beating too fast, or it felt sluggish and slow in your chest. You were either too hot or too cold. Freezing, really. Everything was numb. Why were you here again? Shouldn’t you be getting up to go help Allison? Where was she? You felt confused and could barely remember how to breathe. How much time had passed? 

You heard the sound of an approaching car. Running footsteps. Luther calling out Allison's name. You could just barely recognize the feeling of Five's coin. It took you a second to realize that Klaus' was there too and Diego's knives. You used what you could of your waning energy and pulled on everything that you could with your power. You heard Klaus yell something and then his coin was clattering onto the porch beside you. You weren't sure if you had done anything to Five's or Allison’s coins or even Diego's knives, but you could hear Diego's voice shouting your name. 

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Diego was saying as he landed to his knees beside you. 

"Is she alive?" Klaus asked. 

You could feel fingers on your neck. "There's a pulse. It's just barely there. We need to get her back to the house." 

"What about that glass sticking out of her chest, Diego? Is it safe to move her?" Klaus sounded skeptical about the idea. 

"We have to," Diego argued, before you felt arms lifting you from the porch. “There’s no other choice.” 

You groaned and just barely stopped yourself from trying to roll out of the hold, because the pain was slowly coming back to you now. 

"Y/N? What happened? Talk to me, please,” Diego urged. 

You blinked your eyes open to see Diego looking down at you and Klaus standing just over his shoulder. 

"Leonard," you rasped, before your eyes closed again and everything started to fade away. 

"Don't do this to me," Diego begged. He pressed his face close to yours. You noticed that tears were starting to fall down his face once your eyes fluttered open again. "I-I love y-you.” He took a deep breath, as if he was steeling himself. “You hear me? I love you. I can't lose you." 

You felt a smile form on your face. You couldn't help but think that you could die happy now. "I love you too. I'm sorry," you struggled to get out before you couldn’t fight it anymore and passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: When I watched episode 8 to take notes, I almost cried when the whole Allison part at the end happened and when the others found her. And then I listened to my current music playlist and 'Dancing in the Moonlight' came on and I almost cried all over again. So I decided to use that feeling to write the end scene of this chapter. It was actually the first scene I wrote for this chapter.  
> The opening scene with Klaus in jail was inspired by Robert Sheehan's character in Misfits and then Klaus mentioning that he had been to jail in an earlier episode of Umbrella Academy. 
> 
> I know I left this on a major cliffhanger and I'm sorry about that. I'm going to do my best to post the next chapter on Monday or Tuesday. My panic disorder has reared its ugly head lately and I've been having problems, but I am very committed to finishing this fic on time. I just ask that you please be patient with me.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has shown this fic some love. ♥ You guys are the best and this wouldn't exist without you all.


	9. I Will Live to Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you. You're all amazing. ♥ 
> 
> Warning for possibly blasphemy in this chapter? I don't even know.

When you were younger and Hargreeves took to locking you up to train your power, you quickly fostered a hate for him that grew as the years passed. You spent hours staring at the walls of your cell and thinking of ways to break out. You were sure that all that time by yourself was akin to prisoners being thrown into solitary confinement. At least, it felt that way to you. 

"Why?" You dared to ask one time as Hargreeves led you down to your cell. "What is this going to prove? I can do this just as easily without you locking me up!" 

Hargreeves had his fingers wrapped tightly around your bicep as he pushed you towards the door. 

"It's for your own good, Number Eight," he answered. “You will learn to control your power so you and your brothers and sister can save the world.” 

"No!" You screamed as you jerked your arm out of his hold. "That's not good enough! How is this for my own good? Do you even know how much this is fucking up me and Klaus? Do you get what you're doing to us or does it not even matter because you think we're going to grow up to be your own personal team of superheroes?" You were starting to cry, but you didn't even care. Hargreeves would see it as weakness, but it wasn't like you could help it. You were tired and stressed out. You were facing hours and possibly days of being locked up just to suit Hargreeves' needs. You felt like you were at your breaking point, but you didn't know how to get out of this. You felt trapped. 

"I will not tolerate that kind of language in my house, Number Eight! Now," he said as he began to open the door of the room you feared most in the world, "you will get in here and train." 

"I'm not going in there," you tried to argue. "You can't make me!" 

Hargreeves settled you with an unimpressed look. "And where will you go, Number Eight? What will you do?" 

You were silent as you considered what you could say. The one and only time you had technically run away had ended with you coming right back to the Academy because you got scared. You weren't even really trying to run away at the time, though. You had merely been curious. The truth was that you had no means to make it on your own. Hargreeves had all of the money and the power in this situation. You felt like without your ability, you didn't have much else going for you. Hargreeves had raised you to depend on him and the others and now you couldn't even defend yourself against him. 

You quickly wiped away the tears from your face and walked past Hargreeves into the cell. 

Hargreeves studied you for a few moments before he nodded his head. "I've had Pogo hide metal fragments around the room. I want you to form them into a key. I'll come check on you in three hours." 

"I should just make them into a knife and stab you in your smug face," you muttered, filled with anger and hate in that moment for the man who called himself your father. 

"What was that, Number Eight?" 

"Nothing," you answered, already sitting against the back wall and closing your eyes. 

"Three hours," Hargreeves reminded you as he shut the door and locked it. 

You refused to open your eyes for a few moments until you were sure he was gone. When you opened them, you considered the walls of the room and wished that your power allowed you to bring them down. You wanted nothing more than to see the look on Hargreeves' face if you could accomplish _that_. Unfortunately, your power couldn’t touch the walls, because Hargreeves had engineered the perfect prison for you. 

With a resigned sigh, you cast out with your power and worked on finding all of the metal in the room. 

Now, you wondered how those moments spent locked up had shaped you. You had hated Hargreeves for making you go through that, but you had always tried to be there for the others. You knew they were stuck with Hargreeves just as much as you were. You figured that maybe that had been Hargreeves’ plan all along. Your hate for the man had brought you and the others closer when you were younger. Maybe he had never planned on it pushing you all apart once you were old enough to leave the house. His death had been what brought you all back together and Five’s warning about the apocalypse had you all wanting to act as a team again. Had Hargreeves planned on that too? On any of this? 

It took you a while to wonder what was happening now. You remembered helping Allison with something. Was it Vanya? Was she in trouble? You remembered talking to Diego. There were brief flashes of memories that didn't make sense to you. Someone shouting your name. Hands cradling your face. Pain. There had been so much pain. And then there was nothing. Peace. No pain. You felt like you were drifting along without a real sense of purpose. 

For a few moments, you thought that maybe you were sleeping. Maybe you just had a really weird dream and you would wake up in your apartment to find Klaus on your couch. Maybe there would be a voicemail from your agent asking you about your next book. Maybe Allison would be in California working on her next movie. Maybe Luther was still on the Moon. Maybe Diego was still playing vigilante. Maybe Five was still missing. Maybe Vanya was still playing violin and teaching. 

Vanya. There was something about Vanya that kept tugging at you. She was in trouble. She was powerful. There was something about Allison too. She was hurt. Or maybe she wasn't. You couldn't remember. Was Diego okay? There was something about him too. Something important. A sense of longing filled you at just the thought of Diego and you wished he was there with you. 

When you focused, you could hear birds singing. That couldn’t be right. Were you lying on the ground? You were pretty sure that was grass tickling your arms. There was sunlight. You could feel its warmth on your face. Where were you now? 

"Maybe you should just open your eyes and find out," coaxed a familiar voice. 

When you opened your eyes, it was to see a grey world. "Again?" You groaned. "I was just here," you whined. You closed your eyes for a moment, not wanting to believe that you were really here again. It meant you were dead. Again. You wondered why the girl was still here. Had she been waiting for you? It would have been nice to be alone to settle your thoughts, but you should have known better. 

"It's about time you woke up," said the little girl. "I've been waiting for you." 

"Because that doesn't sound creepy at all," you muttered. It was then that memories seemed to rush back to you. You suddenly remembered what happened to land you back in the black-and-white world of the afterlife. You sat up, your hand going to your chest on reflex. There was no wound, though. You didn't see any blood and your shirt wasn't even torn. It was like nothing had ever happened. You looked over to see the girl swinging this time on a wooden swing-set. Her hands were wrapped tightly around the ropes connecting her seat to the wooden beam above. You watched as she pushed herself back and forth, her gaze focused on you. 

"Are you ready?" She asked you. 

You shivered and moved to stand up, feeling unbalanced. You weren't quite sure why you were supposed to be ready, but you had a feeling she was asking you if you were finally going to accept your death. "What am I doing here?" You glanced around, wondering if there was anyone else, but it was just you and the girl. 

"I told you I would be seeing you again soon," she reminded you. "I realize you didn't think it would be the next day, though." 

"So I died? Again?" You knew the answer to that question, but you were still trying to grasp the concept of death. This didn't feel like death. It felt like an annoyance more than anything at the moment. You couldn't help but feel like you didn't belong _here_. Not when your family was in the middle of fighting to stop the apocalypse. The full team was needed to prevent the end of the world, and they were already down one member since Ben was gone. You couldn't leave them now. They needed you. 

The girl shrugged her shoulders and gestured to the swing beside her. "Let's talk for a moment." 

You didn't even notice that there was another swing. Did it appear when you were distracted? You shuffled over towards the empty swing beside the girl. You weren't sure if this was a good idea, but what else could you do? It wasn't like you really knew how to get out of here and make yourself live again. You sat down and started pushing lazily with your legs, not really intent on swinging. It helped you focus on something else for a moment, though. 

You had so many questions, and you had a feeling that this girl had all the answers. You weren’t completely sure about her identity, though. You thought maybe she was God or something, but she could just as easily be the Devil. Didn’t they say something about Satan being beautiful and disarming? A little girl seemed pretty fucking inconspicuous to you. You had never been one for religion, but there was no denying that you were in the presence of _something_ with the power over life and death. 

You shook your head and tried to think about what you really wanted to know. "What's going on with the others? Diego and Klaus and Allison? What happened to Allison? Is Vanya okay?" 

The girl smiled at you and shook her head as if she was amused. "So concerned about the others when you're no longer alive. What does it matter to you now? You're here and they're there," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders, as if it was that easy. 

"I get that you hold the weight of the whole universe or whatever in your hand, but what's one little life, right? You don't need me," you tried to reason. "Let me go back." 

"I think you're confused. I take care of billions, but you're all very distinctive to me. I know each and every one of you and you all have a purpose. Don't forget that. I don't have to do anything," she informed you. "I could make you stay here for eternity if I wanted to. I could send you away forever. I can do anything. Don't you get that?" 

Well, you definitely didn’t want to piss her off. With your luck, she would keep you on that swing until the world ended. Which, if Leonard wasn’t taken care of, would be soon. "Please," you begged. "I can't stay here." You turned to face her in your seat, hoping to get through to her. 

"Why do you want to go back? Do you honestly think they need you like you think?" She tilted her head to the side as she considered you. You felt exposed under her gaze. You realized that she probably knew everything about you. Every thought. Every want and need. She knew more about you than you knew about yourself. How the hell was that even possible? 

So many thoughts were racing through your mind. If Allison wasn't here with you, then that had to be a good thing, right? And Diego. You remembered his confession to you just before you slipped away. He claimed he loved you. Did he mean it? Was Allison right about what she said earlier when the two of you were in the car together? Was Diego finally on the same page as you? Vanya was still with Leonard. Was she in danger? You knew that she had a power and was obviously quite capable of taking care of herself, but she didn't have control over it yet. Leonard could still hurt her. You wanted to check on Allison. You wanted to see Diego again. You wanted to save Vanya. Above it all, you just wanted to see your family one last time. You didn't even really get to say good-bye. 

"I have to go back," you reiterated as you looked at the girl or deity or whatever she really was. "Send me back," you demanded. 

"I'm afraid it isn't quite that easy. You see, you've died twice now. Right now, Klaus is trying his best to conjure you. He feels lost now that you’re gone and he can’t manage to get you or Dave to show up with his power. He's not going to accomplish it and then he'll seek to destroy himself with drugs yet again. But don’t worry, because he won’t accomplish that either,” she told you once she caught your worried expression. “Diego is asking Grace to take more of his blood to try to save your life. It's hopeless, but it's nice that he's trying. He must really care about you." She gave you a look at that, as if she had opinions about your relationship with Diego. "Luther is fawning over Allison and plotting something that is likely to end disastrously. Well, it _will_ end badly. For everyone. Five is wondering how he still managed to let you die even when he knew it was coming and Allison is on her way to recovery. Vanya, perhaps the most important of that group for now, is feeling confused. She thinks she killed her sisters, but she'll soon learn the truth. She’s going to realize that she needs her family now more than ever. So, you see, everything will still happen with or without you. You could stay here,” she offered. “But what I'm wondering is why you want to go back." 

"You know why," you told the girl. "You know everything." 

"True," the girl said as she shot you a grin. "But indulge me." 

"Wait," you said as you held up a hand and tried to process everything. Your mind was still whirling after the barrage of information from earlier. "Grace is alive again?" 

The girl nodded her head. "Thanks to Pogo. She's been alive for quite some time now." 

"Well, that's nice to know," you replied sarcastically. It seemed like there was always going to be something you didn't know. There was just too much going on for you to keep track of it all. "I have to go back," you repeated. 

"But _why_ do you want to go back?" The girl seemed as if she was getting annoyed with asking you the same question over and over. 

You shrugged your shoulders, lost for any long explanation that might satisfy the question. There were a million and one answers to that question. Luther needed someone to keep him in check. Diego needed to know that you really loved him. You needed to see for yourself that Allison was really okay. You wanted to help keep Klaus sober, because you wanted him to see Dave again. You wanted to tell Five that it wasn’t his fault. You should have seen Leonard as the villain from the start, but you had been so distracted by everything else. You wanted Vanya to know that it was all going to be okay. She didn’t kill you and she didn’t mean to hurt Allison. You wanted to help her control her power before it was too late. Even though you didn’t say any of that, you had a feeling that the girl still knew what you were thinking. "They need me," you offered simply. 

"Are you sure about that? I can clearly see a future where they don't. You've given enough, don't you think? You've helped them all countless times without them even realizing it. You've tried to console Luther recently. You've bailed Diego out of jail more than once and given him someone to confide in who can truly understand him. You've done your bonding with Allison. You gave Klaus a home more than Reginald Hargreeves ever managed to. You always tried to understand Five more than the others. You were there for Ben while he was alive and you included Vanya in your life when the others failed to manage even that. You don't owe them anything. I can imagine you're exhausted. Don't you think it's about time you let yourself rest. Besides, they can't save you now." 

You scoffed and shook your head. "But I can save them," you tried. "I love them more than anything. If I can just be there with them at the end of it all, then I'll take it." 

"You'd really put your life on the line for them again? For a third time? Aren't you afraid of dying again?" The girl asked you the questions, but you got the sense that she already knew the answer to every one. 

"I don't care about that," you argued. "I need to be with them. The apocalypse is about to happen. I know I'm supposed to be dead, but I wasn't ready. Not now. Not yet." 

"No one is ever truly ready." The girl considered you for long enough that you started feeling nervous again. "I'll make you a deal," she finally offered. There was a weight to the words. A power. It was like whenever Allison said 'I heard a rumor.' There was a meaning to it as if a spoken contract was forming. 

"What deal?" You asked, wary of the answer. 

"I'll allow you to go back, but the next time you end up here, it'll be the last. No more second chances. No do-overs. Next time you die, you're dead, okay?" 

You didn't even have to think about it. If you didn't agree to the deal, then you would stay dead. This way, you could join the others again. You could talk to Diego. You could see if Allison was truly okay. You could stop Luther from going through whatever terrible plan he was working on and you could tell Five that it was okay to get things wrong sometimes. You wanted to remind Klaus why he was supposed to remain sober. You could find Vanya and tell her that you didn't blame her. You would make sure Leonard died this time, obviously, but your main focus was your family. This was another chance, and you felt like you would be an idiot not to take it. 

You held out your hand and waited until the girl clasped your hand in hers. You shivered at the raw power that seemed to emanate from her. "Deal," you agreed as you shook her hand. 

“It’s the day of the apocalypse,” she informed you. “Make it count.” 

Everything went white in that moment. You were no longer on the swing and the grey world vanished. You felt like you were floating. Voices echoed all around you as you struggled to find your bearings in the new, weightless world. 

_"Come back to me."_

_"I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner."_

_"I'm sorry, Diego. I don't think she's coming back."_

_"I don't see her. She's not here."_

_"She saved Allison's life."_

_"Come on, Y/N. Don't do this to us."_

_"I love you._

You could feel things again. Your back was pressed against a surface. Something was wrapped around your hand. There was a weight on your chest. You were cold. 

You could still hear the voices. Your mouth was dry. Your heart was pounding. You could sense Diego's knives. There were coins in the room with you. Klaus. Allison. Luther? Feeling and sensation was returning at an astonishing speed. It was a whirlwind of input that your mind scramble to cope with as one thought fought out over all of the rest. 

_Wake up_. 

You suddenly felt a rush of breath through your lungs. Your eyes opened and you gasped, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments. 

"Oh shit," someone said. "She's awake!" 

"Y/N. You there?" Diego's face replaced your view of the ceiling. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?" 

You blinked at him and slowly nodded your head. You opened your mouth to say something, but you ended up coughing instead. 

"Here," Grace said as she offered you a glass of water. "How are you, Y/N?" 

"I'm okay," you rasped, your throat still dry despite nearly draining the glass of water. "What the hell is going on?" You managed to get out. You wanted to sit up, but you felt too weak to manage it. 

"You died," Klaus answered. "Your blood is all over the car, by the way. I can just imagine how pissed off Dad would be right now," Klaus’ voice shook as he said the words. You watched him as he reached up to wipe sweat away from his forehead. You remembered the little girl’s words about Klaus. He had been trying to conjure you and wasn’t able to do it. You wondered if he was blaming himself for not accomplishing it or if something else was going on. 

"Your father would understand that it was a life-or-death situation and just be glad that Y/N is alive," Grace told Klaus. 

You managed a weak laugh at that. "Sure, Mom," you said. Grace offered you a smile and gave you a pat on your shoulder before she left the room. You glanced around the room to see that Luther and Allison were watching you from the doorway. "You're okay?" You asked Allison. You noticed that her throat was bruised and there was a cut on her forehead. 

"She can't talk yet," Luther answered for her. "You pushed her down just in time, though." 

You grinned at Allison. You felt such immense relief at seeing her alive. You had been so worried that you were too late. You were scared that Vanya's power had accidentally lashed out and slit her throat. From what you could see, it looked like Allison's throat was only bruised. 

“So, I have to die for you to wear your coin, Luther? I thought you said they weren’t all that great of an idea.” You raised an eyebrow at him, still wondering what he was planning. The little girl didn’t offer you any details, so you would have to figure it out by yourself. 

Luther shrugged his shoulders as he reached into his pocket and held up the coin you made for him years before. “I changed my mind.” 

Klaus rushed forward and pulled you into a hug. "Don't do that to me again, okay?" 

"I'll try not to," you consoled him as you tentatively reached your arms up to return the hug. You thought maybe you would feel more pain, but it wasn’t as terrible as you expected. You wondered if this was another gift from the little girl. 

Klaus pulled away, careful of the wound still on your chest. You looked down and noticed that there was a bandage over where Leonard had stabbed you with the glass. There was also a strip of gauze covering the cut on your stomach from Vanya's power. When you shifted your leg, you could feel another bandage wrapped around where the glass from the window had cut into your skin. 

You reached up to touch where the glass had gone into your chest. “What happened to Leonard? Where’s Vanya? And Five?” You noticed that he wasn’t there, but you weren’t sure where he had gone this time. With the apocalypse so close, you were sure that he was still trying to find a way to stop it. 

“Oh, that psycho is gone,” Klaus informed you. “We found him dead at his house. Vanya wasn’t there, though. You know, if you weren’t practically dead at the time, I would have thought you were the one who killed him. He had knives sticking out of chest and the whole place was a mess.” 

You shared a look with Allison. You knew that you both thought that Vanya was probably the one to kill Leonard. You were worried about Vanya. She wasn’t a killer. She was probably out there and thinking that not only had she had killed both of her sisters, but she had also murdered Leonard. 

“And Five?” You couldn’t help but ask. 

“That creepy eye he’s been carrying around fit dear old Leonard’s empty socket. So, he’s trying to figure out his life without his apocalypse addiction.” 

“Oh,” you said with a frown. Five had been chasing this apocalypse for forty-five years. You couldn’t even imagine how he must feel now that the number one culprit was out of the equation. 

It was then that you noticed that the pressure on your hand was steadily growing. You looked over to see Diego staring at you with wide, worried eyes. He looked shocked. He looked like he couldn't really believe that you were alive. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"You died on the way here," Diego informed you. He blinked and shook his head, suddenly refusing to meet your gaze. "I had your head in my lap and you just went limp. Your heart wasn't beating. You weren't breathing. After everything, I felt like giving up right then and there." 

"What happened after that?" You figured you weren’t dead for long. The little girl had mentioned that Diego had been asking Grace to take more of his blood to save you. You couldn’t help but wonder how he coped with the sight of the needle, since you knew he harbored a secret phobia. 

"It was the strangest thing," he told you with a stunned expression. He looked like he couldn't really believe that he was talking to you. "You just started breathing again. Mom started up a blood transfusion to see if it would help bring you back. Grace said we might need to expect the worst, but you're here." 

"I'm here," you agreed as you squeezed his hand. "A little worse for wear, but I'm back." 

"Yeah," he breathed. "It's a miracle." He was still watching you, his grip tight on your hand like he was afraid to let go. You didn’t want him to let go of you. You would happily spend the rest of your life holding his hand if you could. 

"Something like a miracle." You glanced over to where Klaus was still watching the two of you. "I had to make a deal." 

"A deal? With who?" Luther asked, sounding worried. 

"A little girl," you admitted. You saw the moment Klaus realized who or what you were talking about. 

"I thought I lost you," Diego admitted. There were tears in his eyes as he grasped your hand even tighter. "Don't make me go through that again." 

"I won't. I promise," you said. 

"Do you remember what I said? Before you passed out?" 

"Okay, kids," Klaus interrupted. "As much as I want to keep watching the show, we should leave these two alone," he said as he ushered Allison and Luther out of the room. He turned to wink at you over his shoulder and you couldn't help but wink back. 

You watched the others leave before you focused on Diego again. "Did you mean it?" 

Diego nodded as he reached out to cup his hands around your face. "I did. I do." He leaned closer until he was leaning over you. "I love you," he whispered before he kissed you. 

You were frozen for a few seconds, unsure if this was real. It didn't matter to you, though. You had waited years for this moment and it seemed like it was finally here. You reached up to wrap your arms around Diego's neck, pulling him closer to you and ignoring the twinge of pain you felt from the wound in your chest. 

Once you started kissing back, Diego seemed to relax into you. He brought his hand up to tangle his fingers in your hair and leaned more of his weight against the bed. You were lost to the feeling of having him so close and in your space. This was different from all of the other moments you had shared with him. This felt like it was the beginning of something new between you and you felt the thrill of anticipation at just the thought of getting to do this over and over with him. 

Diego pulled away. You couldn't help but frown at the loss of contact and he smiled at you. "I just got you back," he explained. "I don't want to push it right now. You need to rest." 

"I'll be fine," you argued, already pulling him in for another kiss. 

You weren't sure how much time passed with Diego. He kept trying to get you to take a break, but you kept reeling him in for more. You had wanted this so badly since you were sixteen. There wasn't anything that would keep you from it now. 

It was sometime between the third and fourth round of kissing that you noticed that there was a bruise around one of his eyes. “What happened?” You reached up to trace your fingers around the bruise and then down to where his knuckles were still split. “Did you get in a fight?” 

“The guy who helped shoot up the house and kidnapped you and Klaus came here looking for Five again. We got into a fight. Five broke it up.” 

You noticed that he avoided mentioning Patch. “You can talk about her, you know. She’s important to you. I’m not going to get upset.” 

“I know,” he answered. “But I don’t want to think about that right now.” 

You finally coaxed him to lie down on the bed with you. He had his arm carefully wrapped around your waist and his head rested on your shoulder. You ran your fingers lightly over his arm before grabbing his hand. 

"What made you change your mind?" You couldn’t help but wonder what had changed between that moment when you were sixteen and now. 

"Change my mind?" He asked as he raised his head to look at you. 

"Yeah," you said. "I mean, I thought when we were sixteen, that was pretty final. I didn't think you'd ever want me like this." 

"Y/N," he sighed. "I felt the same way even back then." 

"Wait," you blurted, shocked at the revelation. "What?" 

"I was in love with you even then, but we had never been allowed to grow up. I was worried it was because all we knew was each other. But as we got older, I realized that nothing had changed. We both dated other people. We both left the house. But you were always there. I still loved you through it all." 

"Oh," you breathed, not sure how to process that. "So you don't think of me as a sister?" 

Diego shook his head. "Definitely not." 

"Well, that's good," you said, at a loss for anything else to say. Your mind was whirling around all of the possibilities. "Hey," you whispered as you pulled him back to you, wanting to kiss him again. 

Diego's lips had barely touched yours when you heard someone clearing their throat. You glanced over to see Klaus watching the pair of you. He offered you a smirk and a thumbs-up. "It's about time." 

"Klaus," Diego groaned. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"Oh, right," Klaus said. "There's something you two need to see." 

"What's going on?" You asked Klaus. He looked worried about something and you knew that your time with Diego was up for now. 

Klaus shook his head. "Luther's gone crazy. He locked Vanya up." 

You felt a cold wash of fear crash over you. "He did what?" 

"Don't get up!" Diego shouted, trying to keep you on the bed. 

You didn't even realize that you had already jumped off the bed. You turned to look at Klaus. "Take me to her." 

Klaus led you and Diego towards the cell where Vanya was locked up. This was a different cell than the one Hargreeves used to keep you locked up. For one, this door had metal, which worked in your favor. This one seemed soundproof as well. You looked around and noticed that Allison wasn't there. Where did she go? There was no way that she would have allowed Luther to do this. 

“Where’s Allison?” 

“Resting,” Luther answered. His arms were crossed as he moved to block your view of Vanya. 

“What is this, Luther? Why would you think this is in any way a good idea?” You tried to get a look at Vanya over Luther’s shoulder, but you couldn’t quite manage it. 

"It's for her own good." 

You took a step back and looked at Luther in disbelief. "Are you the new Hargreeves now?" 

"Excuse me?" Luther looked taken aback at the accusation. 

"The old man croaks and you step in to fill his place. Is that it?" _It’s for her own good_ seemed to echo around your mind. You could only remember Hargreeves saying that about you. 

"It's not like that! You know what she did to you and Allison. She's too powerful," Luther tried to argue. 

"She can't control it, Luther! We have to help her," Klaus cut in. “Look at her,” he said as he gestured towards where Vanya was obviously begging to be let out of the cell. “She’s scared. We can be there for her.” 

"Besides, she didn't stab me in the chest. It was Leonard!" You couldn’t believe that Luther was really this stupid. You loved the guy, but did he ever really think a plan through? “You can’t just keep her locked up forever, Luther. Don’t do something you’re going to regret.” 

“You’re dividing us, big guy,” Diego said. “We’re going to be no use to her if you keep her in there.” 

"It doesn't matter," Luther denied. "This is for the best. Pogo told me that even Hargreeves was scared of what she could do. This is the only way." 

"No it isn't," you argued as you moved forward to get to the cell door. You saw Vanya screaming something and pleading with you, but you couldn't hear her. 

Luther stepped in front of you, blocking the way. "No," he told you. 

"You can't stop me. Just because you're Number One doesn't mean you're the big brother you like to believe you are. We're all the same age, dipshit. You just got assigned a random number and thought it made you special," you spat. You had rarely shown any anger towards the others, but you were so fed-up in that moment. Luther was going down the same road that Hargreeves had paved years before. Someone had to break the cycle. “I can just open the door with my power,” you told him. You closed your eyes, trying to concentrate on the metal in the door. It didn’t matter that you were tired and still trying to recuperate from dying earlier. This was more important to you. You would get Vanya out of there and then you would leave with her so that you could help her control her power. 

"I have to stop you, Y/N. This is the only way," Luther insisted with a shake of his head. You opened your eyes to see that he was giving you the same look of disappointment you had become accustomed to seeing from the man who once called himself your father. 

You reached out with your power again, trying your best to get Vanya out of the cell, but Luther wrapped his hands around your arms and refused to let you go. He shook you and broke your concentration. 

"Luther, let her go!" Diego shouted, his hand landing on Luther's shoulder in an attempt to get you out of his grip. 

"Yeah, Luther, I don't think this is the best idea," Klaus added. He was watching you and Luther with wide eyes. His hands were twitching every so often and you weren't sure if it was because he was newly sober, wanting to help you, or both. 

You could see Vanya screaming, begging to be let out, just over Luther's shoulder, and your resolve grew stronger. It wasn't right to just lock her up for something she couldn't control. She didn't mean to hurt Allison. She didn't kill you. She wasn't to blame for Hargreeves' mistakes. He had fucked up all of you in such insurmountable ways, but you weren't going to let Luther continue the trend. 

"Watch out of her wound, Luther! You could make her bleed again," Diego shouted. You saw and felt him reaching for one of his knives and you wondered if he would really use it on Luther. 

You turned your gaze back to Vanya. She looked so terrified that you couldn't help but sympathize with her. You remembered how terrifying it was to be locked up in an effort to control your powers. You remembered the disappointed sighs and disparaging remarks from Hargreeves. You remembered how traumatized Klaus was after Hargreeves locked him in the tomb to confront the dead for hours on end. You didn't want her to go through that too. If you took the time to help her control her power, then nothing else had to happen. She could be saved. You hated that Luther was doing the same thing to Vanya right now. Being trapped and restrained was the worst thing for her right now and you knew it. 

You briefly considered using Diego's knives against Luther, but you didn't want to hurt him. He wasn't hurting you now, only restraining you. You knew he was trying to be careful with your chest, because his hands were wrapped around your biceps in an effort to keep you from moving any closer to him. 

You just wanted to save your sister. You didn’t see how that was such a bad thing to him. You didn’t know why Luther had to be so stubborn and insist that his way was the only way. 

You closed your eyes and reached out again to the metal in the door, trying to force it to open. You were distantly aware of Diego yelling and Klaus sounding unsure. You were aware of Luther's grip getting tighter and tighter around your arms until you thought they might break, but you didn't care. You were going to save Vanya. This couldn't be the way to fix things. 

"I'm sorry," Luther said, which confused you, because you were so close, the door was shaking, when you felt something pinch the back of your neck. "I thought I might need this for Vanya. I didn't want to have to use it on you." 

You felt your control on your powers slip as everything started going dark. You caught the flash of the syringe in Luther’s hand and the crestfallen expression on his face. 

"What the hell, Luther? You idiot!" Diego yelled and before you really knew what was happening, you were falling and someone was catching you. You stared up into Diego's wide eyes and Klaus' concerned expression before your eyes closed and everything slipped away from you yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My only plan for this chapter as of Friday was: 'memory about being locked up *** the girl *** Diego *** Vanya *** Luther is the new Hargreeves.' Somehow, this chapter happened. I also had the ending scene written since before I posted chapter one. This has been a long time coming, folks. I also realize I've been really mean to Number Eight in this fic. Hopefully that will change with the sequel. ;) 
> 
> We're in the endgame now, to quote Doctor Strange. One chapter to go. I'm thinking since TUA just got renewed for a season two, I would love to play around with canon again, so this is going to end close to how season one ended. So, that means a sequel will have to wait until season two. However, I have a Klaus/reader that I've been planning since I started writing this one. I have another Diego/reader fic in the works and a different Klaus/reader one. This is going to all be part of a series of fics where the reader is Number Eight, but with a different power each time. 
> 
> Also, because of the love that this has been shown, I'm thinking about opening up my Tumblr, or creating a writing Tumblr, to accept requests. Would any of y'all be interested in that? Knowing me, I will take a request and possibly write something long or combine requests. But if you guys are interested, then I think I would be game. 
> 
> Next chapter will include: Luther and the reader fighting, the reader trying to reach out to Vanya, more interaction with Diego, and basically the end of the world. :D I'll hopefully have the last chapter up next week. ♥ Thank you again to everyone for being so amazing. You keep me going. <3


	10. See What's Become Of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for canon violence. This is the longest chapter of the series at 11.5k. I hope y'all like this!

When you were fourteen years old, you found Vanya crying in her room. You were coming back from a mission and trying to decide if you wanted to shower or nap first. Usually, Hargreeves wouldn’t allow anything but a mission debrief, but Diego had accidentally tripped and sent one of his knives into Luther’s thigh. Grace was stitching him up now, which meant that you were given some unexpected free time. You had just decided on taking a quick nap when you heard sniffling coming from Vanya’s room. 

Her door wasn’t fully shut, but you weren’t completely sure of your welcome. You knocked tentatively on her doorframe and the sounds of crying stopped. “What?” She called. 

“Hey, it’s Y/N. Can I come in?” You bit your lip and then glanced up and down the hallway. It looked like no one else was around, so you were hoping Vanya was more likely to open up to you. 

You heard sniffling before she answered. “Yeah.” 

You opened the door all the way and looked in to see her curled up on her bed. “Hey,” you said again. “You okay?” 

Vanya nodded her head, but you knew that she was just trying to get you to leave her alone. She didn’t like for anyone to see when she was upset, but you couldn’t stand to know that she was hurting and felt like she couldn’t turn to anyone. You had never been good at letting the others suffer alone, so you couldn’t help but try to be there for her. 

You closed the door behind you and moved to sit beside her on the bed. “What’s going on?” 

“I’m not special,” she mumbled. “Dad won’t let me be in the family portrait.” 

Hargreeves had recently had you and the others pose for a new portrait. Five had been missing for months and Hargreeves claimed that it was best to take a new one, since Five might not be coming back. You hated having to dress up in your uniform and take an awkward family photo when it wasn’t even with the whole family. It was just for Hargreeves to display his superpowered family. 

“Do you really want to be known for being related to those assholes?” You tried to joke as she glanced up at you. “I mean, I wouldn’t want actual proof out there that they were my family.” You nudged her elbow, trying to get something out of her. “Especially Hargreeves,” you said with an overexaggerated grimace. 

It got a small smile out of her, but you knew that she was still upset. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not even part of the family,” she grumbled as she looked away from you. 

“Vanya,” you sighed. “You are. Are you kidding me? You’re hands down one of my favorites in this stupid house. You’ve grown up with us. You have a place here.” 

“Then why can’t I go on the missions? Or be interviewed? Or be in the family pictures?” She turned to look at you again, as if hoping that you would actually have an answer for Hargreeves’ cruelty. You didn’t, though. You didn’t know how to explain anything about Hargreeves, because he always seemed to confuse the hell out of you. 

You frowned and glanced away from her, not sure how to answer. 

“There’s nothing special about me, Y/N. Just admit it. Dad doesn’t love me because I don’t have a power. The others don’t care about me because I’m not like them.” 

“Hargreeves doesn’t love any of us, Vanya. We’re just an experiment for him. And the others care about you. Of course they do. They love you.” 

Vanya shook her head as if she wanted to argue. She sighed and turned to stare at the wall. “Why don’t you call him ‘Dad?’” 

“He doesn’t deserve it,” you answered, doing your best to keep up with the subject change. “When has he ever treated us like we actually matter to him?” You stood up and walked over to where her violin rested on her desk. You ran your fingers over the body of it before you turned to smile at her. “I heard you playing yesterday. You sounded great.” 

“Really?” She asked as she finally sat up to look at you again. “You think so?” 

“Definitely,” you told her. “Just watch. One day you’re going to be more famous than any of us and I’m going to go to all of your concerts. Front row, even. Well, if I can afford it.” You winked at her and felt relief when she seemed to perk up at the idea. 

Vanya grinned at you and stood to grab her violin. “Then I better start practicing more.” 

You nodded your head and sat down on the edge of her bed, ready to be her audience. 

You weren’t sure how much time you had spent listening to Vanya play her violin when you were younger. Even after both of you left the Academy, you would sometimes sit in on her rehearsals or go to her concerts. She had a way with the instrument that always mesmerized you. Even when you were both teenagers, you were so proud of her talent that you would sit on her bed and watch her play through whichever song you requested. 

You had always been there for her. You had been there to encourage her music and you even supported her in the aftermath of her tell-all book. You were there to defend her when she needed it or to simply listen when she wanted to vent about something. After all this time, you realized that she _was_ your sister in the only way that mattered. In that unbreakable bond that had nothing to do with the fact that you had been pitched together from the first moments of your lives and into adulthood, but everything to do with the fact that you would have chosen her and the others to be your family without Hargreeves’ influence. You loved her and the others so fiercely that you would do anything within your power to help them. However, you couldn’t help but wonder how you had let her slip through your fingers this time. Leonard Peabody or Harold Jenkins had gotten his hooks into Vanya in a way that you weren’t sure that you could fix. 

Vanya was on your mind when you woke up to smoke and rubble. You coughed and squinted at the destruction before you. There was a piece of brick sticking into your back and you tried to wriggle away from it. You were slowly becoming aware of what was going on but the memory of what had caused you to pass out in the first place had fury rushing through you. 

You caught sight of Luther and immediately tried to sit up. "You motherfucker," you slurred, your movements clumsy and uncoordinated as you tried to get to your feet. 

"Whoa, hey, hey," Klaus rushed forward to help you. "Maybe take it easy." 

"Now is not the time," Luther told you. “We all just barely escaped with our lives right now, Y/N.” 

"Like hell," you spat, weakly trying to move towards Luther. The asshole had _drugged_ you. “Whose fault is that?” 

"Step down, Luther," Diego said. "You're not going to win this argument." He reached out to steady you with a hand around your bicep. Klaus was still checking you over, his expression worried. 

“I did what I had to do,” Luther argued. 

“You did what you _wanted_ to do!” You clenched your hand in a fist, the rage and adrenaline waking you up enough to get a hold on your power. As your anger surged through you, it seemed that the effects of the drugs quickly wore off. You were pissed off and ready to let him know it. You used your power to pull up pieces of rebar that your power sensed and every scrap of metal you could find and aimed them at Luther. 

“You were just knocked out,” Klaus said, watching the pieces of metal hover in the air and reaching out to touch one. “How are you doing this already?” 

“Hate makes you strong, apparently,” you snapped as you glared at Luther. 

“So you hate me now, Y/N?” Luther asked. 

“I hate what you did. There’s a difference,” you answered as you took a few steps closer to Luther. “But you know what I really want to do right now?” 

Luther stared at the piece of metal that was only inches away from his face. It was sharp and would do quite a bit of damage if you let it fly at him. “Are you going to kill me?” 

“No,” you said. “I want you to realize that you might be physically strong, but it doesn’t mean shit when I can just jam these into your brain.” You nodded towards the other pieces of metal that were hovering around him now. 

Allison looked like she wanted to step forward, but she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Diego had a hand on your shoulder, as if he was going to pull you away. Klaus was looking back and forth between you and Luther, as if he wasn’t sure who to watch at the moment. 

“Look, we’re all upset,” Luther started. 

“Upset? Are you fucking kidding me, Luther? You weren’t going to get your way, so you fucking drugged me! Over the past few days, I have been kidnapped and drugged by two lunatics. I’ve taken more hits to the head than I’m comfortable with. When you drugged me, I had just died. Twice! Within two days. And both times were for you guys!” You threw your arms into the air and all of the metal pieces dropped to the ground. You noticed Luther flinch and Allison take a step away from you. 

“What do you mean you died twice?” Diego asked worriedly, his hand reaching out to touch your shoulder. 

“It doesn’t matter,” you said as you shook your head. “We’re all sacrificing a lot to stop the world from ending and we can’t afford to just do whatever the hell we want. What have you done to help lately, Luther? Huh? Besides whining about the fact that Hargreeves sent you to the Moon for no reason, which if you had been paying attention and not just blindly following the man all these years, you would have realized wasn’t that out of character for him. Think back over the last couple of days and really think about what you’ve done. What have you lost, Luther? The importance of your lunar mission? Your respect for Hargreeves?” You lowered your voice as you leaned closer so that only he could hear you. “Your virginity?” At his shocked expression, you laughed. “Oh yeah, Klaus told me.” Klaus had whispered the information in your ear with glee not long after you returned to life and right before you went to confront Luther for locking Vanya up. You figured he had been dying to share the news and you were the only one he knew he could trust with the information. You felt mildly guilty for using it against Luther now, but ultimately you didn‘t care. You felt like he needed to be knocked down a few pegs and if this worked, then it might help your relationship with him later on, because you couldn‘t take it if he still played the high and mighty role he was so accustomed to as self-appointed leader. “So, if anyone is going to be making decisions right now, it shouldn’t be you.” You raised an eyebrow at him, trying to silently remind him about the rave and the girl. You didn‘t want to mention the whole incident in front of Allison, though, because you knew her feelings would be hurt. It would just further divide the team and you knew it was the last thing you all needed at the moment. 

“I’m Number One. You told me that I was a great Number One,” Luther reminded you. 

You tilted your head to the side and considered him. “In light of recent events, I’m taking that back.” 

“Don’t,” Luther pleaded. You could tell that you were finally starting to get through to him. He looked unsure and it hurt to think that you did that to him, but you felt like it was the only way to get through to him now. 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Diego stepped in. He tried to tug you away from Luther, but you shook your head, warning him not to interfere. 

“Come on, Y/N,” Klaus tried, but you shot him a glare. 

Allison shook her head at you. It looked like she wanted to say something, but you figured her throat was still probably hurting. The bruises around her throat looked painful and you hated that Vanya had been the one to do that to her. You knew it was an accident, though. What Luther had done to you was definitely on purpose. 

“I just want Luther to admit that he was wrong. If he really thinks drugging us all until we comply is the way to go about things, then he’s never going to be a leader. It’s why we’re such a shitty team now,” you spat. “It’s why Vanya obviously brought down the fucking Academy. It’s been a shitshow from day one because of Hargreeves and now Luther!” You didn’t care that you were still yelling. You were so tired of letting the others get away with such terrible ideas. Luther drugging you had been the last straw. 

Luther sighed and glanced away. His hands were fisted at his sides and he looked like he was only moments away from hitting something. 

“Admit it,” you got out through gritted teeth. You were clenching your jaw so hard that you felt like your teeth might crack. You were so incredibly angry in that moment. You shook off Diego’s hold on your shoulder and took a few more steps towards Luther until you were firmly in his space. “Admit it,” you demanded again. 

“Okay,” Luther finally conceded. “I shouldn’t have drugged you. It was wrong of me to do that. Are you happy now?” 

“No,” you admitted. And then before you could think about what a terrible idea it was, you lurched forward and punched him. 

“Whoa! Hit him again,” Klaus cheered. 

“The apocalypse is still on,” Five interjected. You turned to see that he had joined the group. You guessed that you should have noticed that his coin was suddenly present, but you had been so focused on Luther that you didn’t. You were still angry and hurt. You felt betrayed. After everything you had done, and Luther had just acted like you were an inconvenience to his goals. Like he couldn’t take the time to actually try to talk things out and instead used brute strength and shortcuts to get his way. “And I come here to find my siblings fighting. No wonder the Academy is gone.” 

“What do you mean the apocalypse is still on?” Luther asked, rubbing his jaw. “Harold Jenkins is dead.” 

“You don’t get it,” Five said with a shake of his head. “Leonard must have been the fuse. Vanya is the bomb.” He gestured around at the remains of the Academy. “She’s going to destroy the world if we don’t stop her.” Five nodded at you. “And Y/N, it's nice to see you’re not dead after all.” 

You offered him a grin. “I thought you guys might need me.” You turned to consider Luther. “Get your priorities straight or we’re all screwed.” 

Luther held up his hands. “I’ll listen to you from now on, okay? Just don’t hit me again.” 

You rolled your eyes and moved to pull Luther into a hug. Hitting him must have done you a little bit of good, because you didn’t feel so ready to destroy him anymore. You felt like you could focus again after venting some of your anger and frustration at him. “I love you, you big idiot. So think of it as a love tap. Besides, it’s not like it would have hurt you.” 

Luther patted you on the back and then turned to look at Five. You moved back to Diego’s side as they talked. 

“How do you know the apocalypse is still on?” 

“Because Vanya destroyed the Academy first. Everything is exactly the same, except Y/N isn’t dead. Even the newspaper didn’t change except for that one story.” He held up the newspaper in his hand. 

“That doesn’t mean anything. It could have changed since the time that paper was printed this morning,” Diego refuted. 

“And I’m telling you that nothing has changed,” Five insisted. “Vanya destroyed the Academy before she caused the apocalypse. Our time is running out.” 

“How can you be so sure that Vanya isn’t just done destroying things?” Luther asked, looking more and more confused by the recent turn of events. 

While Five berated Luther for not believing him, you leaned towards Diego. "So what happened while I was unconscious?" 

"Vanya brought the house down," Diego answered, as if it wasn’t obvious. 

"Well, obviously,” you said, gesturing around at the rubble and flames. “But who got me out?" You glanced at Diego, assuming that it had to have been him. 

Diego wouldn't meet your gaze. "Vanya did." 

"What?" You couldn’t believe it. You assumed that someone had carried you out of there. You never would have guessed that Vanya in her enraged state had taken the time to get you to safety. Besides, she was the tiniest one. How did she manage it? 

"She took you. After Luther drugged you, I put you on the couch in the living room. When she broke out, I went to see what was going on. I almost didn't make it out, but Klaus saved me. By the time I got back to the living room, Vanya had killed Pogo and she was levitating you out the front door. She left you on the sidewalk.” He was still refusing to look at you. You knew that he felt ashamed that he didn’t get to you in time. 

“Hey,” you told him, trying to get his attention. You reached down to wrap your fingers around his wrist and tugged until he finally looked at you. “Do you honestly think I’m hurt that she saved me and not you?” 

Diego shook his head. “It should have been me. I should have stopped Luther in the first place. I shouldn’t have left you in the living room to find out what was going on when Vanya broke out. She could just as easily have killed you, Y/N. I could have lost you again and it would have been my fault.” 

You really didn’t think Vanya would have killed you, but you didn’t want to say that at the moment. You were surprised that she killed Pogo, though. It seemed so out of character and you wondered what had motivated her to go through with it. You felt remorse at the thought that maybe you could have prevented Vanya from killing Pogo. You had your problems with him, sure, but he had always been there. He was practically a part of the family. 

There was so much that you needed to know. What was going on with Vanya? What was she thinking? Was she okay? What was she going to do now? You were already forming your own potentially dangerous and stupid plan and you didn’t want anyone to know about it at the moment. Besides, you knew that Diego needed to be reassured that you weren’t upset with him. Honestly, you were just relieved to be here at all. If you had died yet again when Vanya brought the house down, then you would have just ended up back in that grey world with the little girl. You imagined she would probably be a little bit smug that you were going to have to honor your deal and stay dead so soon after you begged her to come back so that you could help save the world with the others. “We’re both alive. Almost everyone got out.” You glanced around at the group. “Wait. Where’s Mom?” 

“She didn’t make it,” Klaus answered. He had his arms wrapped around his stomach and was rocking back and forth on his feet. “We couldn’t get to her in time.” 

“So we’re down two people,” Luther observed. “Vanya must be stopped.” 

“We can’t hurt her, guys,” you said. “We have to help her.” 

It was then that a light swept over the remains of the Academy. There were sirens and flashing lights approaching. You figured if the cops descended on all of you at that moment, then the world would definitely be doomed. You couldn’t get caught up in questioning or possibly getting arrested. You knew that the apocalypse needed to be prevented, but it couldn’t happen if all of you were detained for one bullshit reason or another. 

“Shit,” Five hissed. “Not here.” 

“We’ll find Vanya. Let’s regroup at the Super Star!” Luther shouted over the sound of sirens. 

“The first decent plan you’ve had all day!” You told him with a wink before the group began to disperse. 

Diego took your hand and pulled you away from the wreckage of the Academy. 

You followed him down an alley and in the direction of the park. You figured he was trying to take a shortcut to the bowling alley. You weren’t sure how to tell him that you had a detour in mind. Before you could mention it, you were stopped by the sight of another cop car. 

"Let's split up," you suggested, knowing that you weren't planning on going right to the bowling alley. You knew that Diego wouldn’t approve of what you had in mind and while you had just berated Luther for not thinking things through, you knew that this was something you could only carry out by yourself. Out of everyone, you or possibly Allison had the best shot at getting through to Vanya. You had to at least try to talk her out of whatever she was planning. 

"No," Diego argued. "It's not safe." 

"Trust me," you told him. You reached up to cup his face in your hands. “It will be okay.” 

He considered you for a few seconds before he reached down to one of his knives and pulled it out of its holster. "Take this with you. I want you to have something on you in case you need it." 

"Really?" You were shocked. "You hate parting with your knives." 

Diego shrugged as he handed over the knife. "I hate the idea of you getting hurt more." 

“Thank you,” you said as you reeled him in for a quick kiss. 

“See you at the Super Star,” he said when you parted. 

“See you,” you agreed and then jogged away from him, already mentally planning your route to Vanya's apartment. You knew that tonight was supposed to be her concert. She had left tickets for you and the others at the box office. If anything, you knew that she was going to have her show. She would have to go back to her apartment for her violin, so you were banking on her still being there when you got there. 

You rushed through the streets, breaking out into a run when you were sure that you would be too late. You climbed the stairs, sure that adrenaline was the only thing keeping you going now. When you got to Vanya’s apartment, you were glad to see that the door was slightly open. You didn’t think breaking into her apartment would endear her to you right now. 

You slowly opened the door, not ready to be met with the sight of Vanya standing there in her suit. Her eyes were white and you could see energy radiating off of her, ready to be used. 

“Vanya,” you whispered. 

She didn’t say anything as she moved to pick up her violin where it had been resting on her couch. 

“You’re still going to your concert?” 

She turned to give you a look, as if wondering if you were really asking that despite the evidence to confirm that she was still planning on performing. 

“Of course you are,” you said with a nervous laugh. “Look, I fully support you going and being a star tonight, okay? But it can’t be like this. People might get hurt. A lot of people,” you clarified. 

The pressure in the room was steadily growing. You were worried that she would get angry with you if you stayed in her way for too long. 

She still didn’t say anything as she moved to step around you. You knew it was probably a bad idea, but you stepped into her path. "You saved me, Vanya! That has to mean something. You could have left me to die in the Academy. You’re still in there. Don’t give in to the power.” 

Vanya’s eyes were suddenly no longer white and it seemed like the pressure in the room dropped. “It’s always been me,” she told you. “This _is_ me. I’ve just been set free.” 

“And killing Pogo?” You couldn’t help but ask. 

“He knew,” she said, her face twisting into a betrayed expression. “He knew about my powers and he helped Dad hide everything. He was just as bad as Dad.” 

“Vanya,” you started, not sure what to really say. You had always been so good at getting through to her when you were both younger. Now, it seemed like you couldn’t reach her. This was new territory and you weren’t sure if you were supposed to keep going forward or turn back. “I love you,” you finally told her, at a loss for anything else to say. 

“I love you too,” she said. “But I’m going to be late.” Her power seemed to come back to her all at once and you watched her eyes turn white. 

“If you do this, then something bad will happen,” you tried to warn her. You didn’t want to believe that Vanya was the cause of the apocalypse, but you had already been on the other end of that power. You knew just what she was like when she was unleashed. She had almost killed Allison. She had decimated the Academy. She killed Pogo. Would she also destroy the world? 

She stared at you and didn't say anything. Her hand was clenched tight around the case of her violin and she slowly started walking towards the door of her apartment. 

"Please," you begged as you stepped back into her path. "It doesn't have to be this way." 

She considered you for a few moments before she raised her hand and used her power to sweep you off to the side and out of her way. You collided with the wall of her apartment and groaned. Your head had hit the edge of the table where she kept her voicemail machine. You hissed and reached up to touch the edge of the cut that had opened up on your forehead. You brought your hand down and looked at the smear of blood on your fingers. 

You were suddenly so tired of bleeding for your family. Maybe the little girl had been right. Maybe you shouldn’t have come back. You couldn’t stop Vanya. The apocalypse would probably happen either way. No one really needed you. The Academy had still been destroyed. Your family was still struggling to keep it together. What were you actually doing? You had spent the moments after you came back to life making out with Diego and fighting with Luther. The little girl had told you to make it count, but were you? 

You remembered the moments with Diego before Klaus had interrupted the two of you. You had been so caught up in the moment. Now that you were thinking about it, was it really supposed to happen this way? Diego had just lost Patch. As far as you knew, she was one of the great loves of his life. Maybe she was the _only_ love of his life. He admitted to loving you, yes, but was he just in mourning? Why now? Why did he leave you heartbroken at sixteen just to suddenly confess his feelings? Were they real? Or did he just not want to lose you after he already lost so much? You felt a niggling sense of doubt about everything. 

“Now is not the time,” you whispered to yourself. Your love life or possible lack of one could wait until the world had been saved. 

You looked up to see that Vanya was already gone. You forced yourself to get up and raced out of the apartment, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. She was probably already on her way to the Icarus Theater. You knew that it had been foolish to go after her alone, but you had to try. She didn’t want to listen to you, though. If she went through with her concert, the energy of her power building and building all the while, then what would happen once she let it go? Now, you knew that you would need the others if you were going to stop the apocalypse. You swallowed the guilt you felt at the idea that you would have to stop Vanya and started walking in the direction of Super Star Lanes. 

It took you longer than you wanted to get there. You were starting to feel the effects of the last week. Before Hargreeves died and Five reappeared, you had barely used your powers. You were used to always being aware of any metal in a room, but besides going on the vigilante missions with Diego, you weren’t all that accustomed to using them for fighting. Now, you had widened your range to encompass the whole city when you were trying to find Klaus. You had used them to fight off Hazel and Cha-Cha when they attacked the Academy. You had been kidnapped and drugged. You were knocked out a few times. You died twice. Your childhood home had been levelled by the one person in your family who wasn’t supposed to be a threat. You had been given everything you ever wanted with Diego, but now it seemed too good to be true. Your head was spinning from everything, but in a way, you felt stronger. Despite everything that had happened over the past week, you were still here. You knew that this was the time to put up or shut up. You were getting down to the wire with the apocalypse and either you and the others would be able to save everyone or the whole world was doomed. 

You told yourself all the way to Super Star Lanes that you could do this. You had to have faith in your ability and the others, despite all of the recent set-backs. Five had fought so hard to get back to you and the others. So much had already changed. You weren’t dead, for one. Harold Jenkins had already been taken out of the equation. That had to mean something, right? 

You pushed through the door into the bowling alley. You remembered coming here with the others when you were younger and you all needed to have some fun that was outside the thirty minutes Hargreeves allotted on Saturdays. You missed those days of your adolescence so fiercely now. You would gladly take down armed robbers at a bank and feel accountable for the lives of the people in that one building instead of worrying about the fates of everyone on the planet. 

The others were already there and sitting in chairs there were grouped around one of the lanes. You noticed that they were all wearing bowling shoes and you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as you walked up to the group. 

"Y/N! Where the hell were you?" Klaus asked as he patted the seat between him and Diego. 

"I made a detour," you said as you sat down. 

"Hey," Diego whispered, reaching out to touch the cut on your forehead. "What happened?" 

You really didn’t feel like coming up with a lie. It seemed useless to do anything but tell the truth now. "I went to Vanya's apartment, okay? I had to try to get through to her. I owed her that much." 

"What were you thinking? She could have killed you!" Luther said, joining the conversation. He was standing near the row of chairs across from you. Five was sitting down, but Allison was standing just behind Five. You turned to see that they were all watching you. 

"And yet she didn't," you pointed out as you turned to look at Luther. 

“Is she still at her apartment?” Klaus asked. “Because if so, then problem solved! We’ve located her.” 

You shook your head. “She left.” 

“I still think we need to prepare to do whatever it takes to stop Vanya,” Luther mentioned. 

Allison reached out to smack Luther on the arm. 

“You can’t be serious,” you said. “We should stop the apocalypse, yes, but let’s remember that it’s still Vanya. She’s hurt right now. She needs her family more than anything.” 

“She’s our sister,” Diego agreed as he stood up. “There has to be something we can do that doesn’t involve killing her.” 

“What did you have in mind?” Five asked Diego. 

Diego sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know.” 

“We should start by figuring out where she is,” Luther offered. 

“Oh yeah,” you said, feeling like an idiot for failing to mention anything about the concert up until that point. For a moment, you had forgotten all about it. “I know where she is,” you admitted as you stood up to face Luther. 

Luther blinked at you and looked around at the others in disbelief. “And you just forgot to mention it?” 

You scratched the back of your head, wincing at your own absentmindedness. “Yeah?” 

“Unbelievable,” Luther sighed. “You give me crap about making terrible decisions and you’re sitting on vital information.” 

“It’s not like I’m withholding it on purpose, Luther!” You threw up your hands in frustration and turned your back on him. It was then that you noticed the woman staring at your group. “Can we help you?” 

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said with a forced, cheerful smile. “My boss asked me to inform you that if you’re going to stay here, then you need to bowl.” She glanced down at your feet. “And that you’ll have to wear the appropriate footwear.” 

Luther groaned and grabbed one of the bowling balls. He turned to make eye contact with the manager of the bowling alley before tossing it across the lanes. You rolled your eyes and moved to sit back down, pointedly not bothering to change out your shoes. 

“Tell your boss that if he leaves us the hell alone, then I’ll pay the usual fee for renting out the place. That sound good?” You asked the girl, just wanting her and her manager to mind their own business. 

“Oh,” she said and then nodded her head in agreement before walking back over to her manager. You watched her whisper something to him and then he met your eyes. He sighed and then nodded his head. 

“Do you really plan on paying the fee?” 

You shrugged your shoulders and turned to look at Klaus. “Maybe. Maybe not. As long as they leave us alone long enough to figure this out.” 

Klaus grinned at you and knocked his shoulder against yours. “You high roller.” 

You nudged him back and then turned to look at the others. “So, about Vanya,” you started, remembering that you had yet to mention where she was supposed to be at the moment. “Tonight’s the night of her big concert, remember? She’ll be at the Icarus. But what are we going to do?” 

Allison was writing down on the legal pad she had on her. ‘She’s our sister. We save her,’ were the words she showed to the group. 

“We have a responsibility to dad,” Luther tried to argue. 

“That's bullshit,” Diego interjected. “We don’t owe him anything.” 

“I agree,” Five said with a shake of his head. “We can’t give her a chance to fight back.” 

“I think I can help,” Klaus offered, moving to stand up. 

“This isn’t the time, Klaus,” Luther cut him off. 

“Leave him alone,” Diego told Luther. “He saved my life earlier.” 

“I did,” Klaus agreed. “I did take credit for that,” he amended. “The person who really saved Diego’s life was Ben.” He noticed the skeptical looks that the others were giving him. You weren’t really skeptical; you were just confused more than anything. You knew that Klaus talked to Ben all the time, but you didn’t know he could make him corporeal. “He punched me in the face earlier,” Klaus told the group. “And he saved Diego when the Academy came tumbling down. I can prove it!” He moved to grab a bowling ball and crouched. “It’s showtime, baby,” Klaus said to the seemingly empty air across from him. He tossed the bowling ball and it hit the floor before bouncing a few feet away. 

You winced and turned to see the disappointed look on Klaus’ face. “You can do this,” you said as you stood up and moved to touch his shoulder. “I know you can. You’ve been talking to Ben for years. You’ll make it happen again.” 

Klaus offered you a smile as Luther scoffed. “Do you always have to be the center of attention or can you wait until we figure out how to stop the apocalypse?” 

“You know what, Luther? I liked you better before you got laid,” Klaus snapped as he turned on Luther. 

You froze, your gaze seeking out Allison. She looked shocked as she turned to look at Luther. 

“Shit,” Klaus groaned. “I shouldn’t have said that. But it wasn’t his fault, right?” He turned to look at Allison, trying to offer an explanation. “He was ridiculously high and the girl thought he was a furry!” 

Allison rolled her eyes and stormed off. Luther glared at Klaus before he followed after her. 

“Well, I guess we’re going to wait for them to figure out their drama now,” you said as you moved to sit down. 

Klaus slumped into the seat beside you. “I really didn‘t mean to mention that in front of Allison. It just slipped out.” 

“It happens,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders. “Maybe it’s best if she found out now. They can figure themselves out before we all go marching into whatever situation we’re facing with Vanya.” 

Five was sitting down on a chair across from you and messing with his bowling shoes when a woman and her son approached him. You were sitting on the end chair in the row and Klaus was taking up the middle seat beside you. That left Diego to sit beside Klaus on the other end of the row of seats. You didn’t mean to keep up the distance between the two of you, but you were still trying to think over everything. You weren’t sure how you felt about everything now that you weren’t fresh off death’s doorstep. You didn’t want to just give in to your feelings for Diego without knowing some things first. 

“Excuse me?” The woman said as she looked at Five. All four of you turned to look at the woman. “I was just wondering if you would rather have fun playing with kids your own age. It’s my son Kenny’s birthday and we’d love to have you join us.” She glanced over at Diego and Klaus. “If it’s okay with your two dads, of course,” she said. 

“I’d rather chew off my own foot,” Five snapped. 

You were too busy laughing to fully appreciate Five’s response, though. You clutched your stomach, bending over in your seat until you slipped off the seat and fell to the floor. You could barely get a breath in at the bewildered looks on Diego’s and Klaus’ faces or the scandalized expression the woman was now sporting all because Five was secretly a grumpy old man in a teenager’s body. The fact that the woman had assumed that Diego and Klaus were Five’s dads was just a bonus. You looked up at the ceiling as if speaking to God or the little girl or whoever. “I don’t know if I have you to thank for that, but perfect timing. Seriously,” you said as you shot a thumbs-up at the ceiling. The woman was already walking away with her son, but you couldn’t help but call after her. “As this kid’s babysitter, I will make sure that he has a good long talk with his dads about being polite!” You turned to offer Five a grin, noticing the exasperated expression on his face. 

“Yeah,” Klaus butted in. He shook his finger at Five. “You’re grounded, mister. No more bowling for you.” 

Diego rolled his eyes and reached forward to help you off the floor. “Are you two done?” 

“You know,” you said as you considered Klaus and Diego. “I can see it.” 

Diego shook his head. “If I was going to date a man, he would be the last man I would date.” 

Klaus scoffed as he stood and held his hand up to his chest in mock-offense. “You’d be lucky to get me. Besides, I wouldn’t steal Y/N’s man. I’m not a homewrecker, thank you very much.” 

Five had wandered off and Klaus had already turned away from you and Diego to focus on something else. Your smile fell off your face at the thought of being with Diego. It was what you had wanted for so long, but it just seemed like it was too good to be true. You were so confused. There was so much you were questioning. Was now the time to figure out all of your relationship drama since Allison and Luther seemed to be doing the same? You weren’t sure, but it seemed like it was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not. 

Diego must have noticed your change in mood. “Where did you go just now? What’s going on with you?” 

You sighed and headed over towards an empty set of chairs that was far enough away from Klaus that he wouldn’t overhear. You sat down and waited for Diego to take the seat next to you. You turned to look at him, wanting to watch him for any reactions. “Is it only because I died?” 

“What?” His face scrunched up in confusion and you had to look away, because you couldn’t help but think that he looked cute when he did that. 

“You telling me about your feelings,” you clarified. “Was it only because I died? Did we just get caught up in the moment?” 

“Of course not,” he argued. “I do love you, Y/N.” 

“But think about it,” you urged him. “Patch just died. You obviously weren’t over her. On the other hand, I died, but I came back. You’ve known about my feelings since we were sixteen, Diego. You’ve always had all of the cards. Why did you finally play your hand after so long? You made me wait almost fourteen years just to tell me that you’ve always felt the same? Do you know how that makes me feel?” 

Diego sighed and looked away from you. He shrugged his shoulders. “I lost you. I didn’t lie about loving you since we were teenagers. But I lost you. I lost Eudora. I felt like I didn’t have anything else keeping me here. And then you came back to me. It was a miracle and I didn’t want to waste it. Besides, if the world was ending, I figured I should tell you now before it was too late.” 

You remembered Allison’s words to you before everything happened with Leonard and Vanya. She told you to tell Diego how you felt before it was too late. You wondered if she had been secretly meddling or if was just a coincidence. Either way, you didn’t want to rush this. For years, you had given up all hope that Diego cared about you in the same way. Were you ready to just jump into a relationship with him? Probably not. Was the end of the world and the threat of death accelerating everything to the point that you might end up regretting how things were playing out between the two of you later on? Probably. You didn’t know what to think. That was your main problem. If you had lived and never died, would Diego have bothered to tell you anything? Would he have let you go fourteen more years without mentioning his feelings? You weren’t sure, but you just didn’t have the time to figure it all out now. These questions were best left until after you and the others prevented Vanya from bringing about the end of the world. The other problem was that you might not succeed and you would never figure out the truth where your relationship with Diego was concerned. 

Either way, you had to believe that there was more in store for you and Diego. You told yourself that you would get your time with him. It just couldn’t be now. 

“Look, we’re going to stop the apocalypse,” you promised. “And when we do, I think we need to talk about us. Really talk. Because I waited, Diego. I waited and I was hurt and you knew the whole time. You could have told me how you felt before now.” 

“I’m s-sorry,” he said, ducking his head once he stuttered. You knew he felt embarrassed at the slip-up. 

“Hey,” you told him as you tugged on his arm. “Look at me.” You waited until he finally met your eyes again. “I love you. That hasn’t changed. I just want to make sure we’re doing this right if we’re going to do this at all. And I don’t want to just be caught up in the moment. I think I deserve more than that after everything. _We_ deserve it.” 

Diego blinked a few times before he nodded his head. “I agree.” He tugged you forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I love you. Remember that.” 

“I won’t ever forget it,” you promised. 

You were interrupted by Luther clearing his throat. You hadn’t even noticed that he had joined the pair of you or that Allison and Klaus were there as well. You really should have been paying attention to the coins, though. You needed to get better about that. “Where’s Five?” Luther asked you and Diego. 

“At this point, are you really all that surprised when he disappears without saying anything?” You probably should have also realized that Five’s coin was no longer present in the bowling alley. You couldn’t help but berate yourself for losing focus on your power for those brief moments with Diego. If you and the others were going to have a shot at saving the world, then you needed to be vigilant. 

“No. Not really,” Luther answered. "We don't have time to wait for him, though.” 

“So, what’s your plan, big guy?” Diego asked. 

“We go to the Icarus Theater,” Luther offered. 

“That’s a location. That’s not a plan,” Diego argued. “Look, if you’re going to lead, then you need to actually lead us. We’re all over the place right now.” 

You tuned out for a few seconds when something pulled on your power. “Guys,” you interrupted, holding up a hand to stall any argument brewing between Diego and Luther. “Guns. Lots of them coming this way.” 

It was then that several people in gas masks stormed the bowling alley. Chaos erupted once they started shooting at anything and everything. You moved to duck down behind a counter near Allison and Klaus. 

“Who the hell are these guys?” Luther shouted from where he was hiding behind another counter with Diego. 

“Maybe they’re here for Kenny’s birthday!” Klaus yelled, his hands over his ears. 

“No, they’re here for us,” Diego said as he threw a knife. The knife lodged into the shoulder of one of the attackers and caused them to spin, hitting a switch that dimmed the lights and started playing music. 

“I love this song. It’s been years since I’ve heard this,” you commented as you glanced at Klaus. 

“Y/N!” Luther yelled. “A little help!” Luther moved to throw a bowling ball at one of the attackers and you nodded your head. 

“Right,” you said. You reached out with your power and tried to stop as many of the bullets as you could. There were civilians still in the bowling alley and you didn’t want anyone innocent to get hurt. You focused on your power, getting a feel for each and every gun in the room and trying to figure out where they were all positioned. You were able to hone in on one gun at a time, crumpling them up with your power, before you moved to the next. You did your best to also stop bullets in their trajectory or to spin the guns away to fire on the other figures in the gas masks. It seemed like it was a never-ending attack, though. 

“It’s no use! They keep coming!” Diego shouted. 

“Well, what are we going to do?” Klaus asked as he threw what you assumed was Kenny’s birthday cake at the attackers. 

Allison was pointing out to the lanes, reaching out to hit you and Klaus on your shoulders to get your attention. 

“We’ll make for the lanes,” Luther said once he realized what Allison was trying to say. 

“Okay, you guys make a run for it. I can cover you as much as I can,” you told the others. 

“What? Come with us!” Klaus urged you. He had his hand wrapped around your wrist, as if he planned on dragging you after him if he had to. 

“I will,” you assured. “I’m just making sure you don’t get shot in the process.” 

Diego looked like he wanted to argue, but Luther tugged on his arm. “It’s her power, Diego. She’s got this better than any of us.” 

“Yeah,” you said as you grinned at Luther. “I’ve got this.” 

You stayed behind the counter as the others ran down the lanes. You turned your focus on the guns that were pointed their way and did your best to redirect as many as you could. When you were satisfied that they were safe, you took off down the lanes, using your power to dodge any bullets that were still flying in your direction. 

Once you were back with the others, Klaus pulled you into a brief hug and Luther clapped you on the back. ”Good work, Y/N.” 

“Thanks,” you said, as Diego reached out to take your hand. You left the bowling alley with the others, keeping your power focused on the doors to make sure that none of the attackers followed you. Thankfully, they didn’t come after you and you were all able to get away. 

When you and the others walked into the lobby of the Icarus Theater, it was to find out that the concert had already started. You listened to the music pouring out through the main doors and turned to face the others. 

“Okay,” Klaus said as he clapped his hands. “What are we going to do now?” 

You and the others huddled together to try to figure out a plan. Allison seemed to have her own agenda, though. She pulled out her legal pad and wrote down on it before showing it to you and the others. 

‘Y/N and I go in. Alone.’ 

“That’s the best idea,” you agreed. “Vanya is more likely to listen to us. I don’t think she’ll attack us.” 

“She gave you that cut on your forehead,” Diego reminded you. 

“That was my fault,” you said. 

“What? There’s no way I’m letting you two go in there alone,” Luther argued. 

“We don’t have time for this,” Klaus warned him. 

“Fine,” Luther conceded. “You two go and try to get through to her. We’ll keep watch from out here.” 

You considered Luther for a few moments. He had agreed to Allison’s plan way too easily. You knew he was planning something, but Klaus was right. There just wasn’t time to argue about this. 

You grabbed Allison’s hand and tugged her into the theater, hoping to get to Vanya before Luther enacted whatever he had in store for her. If it was anything like his plan to lock Vanya up and then drug you when you tried to free her, then it was going to make things a lot worse for everyone. 

You and Allison walked up the center aisle towards the stage where Vanya was performing. You were so incredibly proud of Vanya in that moment. Sure, she was the likely cause of the apocalypse, but right now she was following her dream. You knew that she had waited years to be first chair. You knew that her leading this concert was what she had wanted so badly for so long. You and Allison stood in the aisle and watched her play for a moment. You squeezed Allison’s hand and she turned to smile at you. 

It was then that Vanya looked up and noticed the both of you. She offered you both a tiny smile as she kept playing. 

You were so caught up in Vanya’s performance that you almost missed the movement from the sides of the stage. 

“They wouldn’t,” you groaned, just as Luther ran at Vanya from one side of the stage and Diego from the other. Vanya sensed them and stood, sweeping Luther and Diego out into the audience with her power. People in the audience got up and started running, screaming in fear. When other members of the orchestra tried to get up, Vanya forced them back down into their seats with her power so that they would keep playing. She moved towards the front of the stage, her focus still on her music as her power began to emanate from her in waves. 

You and Allison ducked down behind a row of seats while Diego and Luther did the same across the aisle from you. Allison was angry and even took off her shoe to throw at Luther. 

“What?” He asked as he flinched away from the shoe. “You had your plan and I had mine!” He shouted across the aisle. “We have to find a way to stop her!” 

Allison mimed playing the violin. 

“Yeah, no shit, Allison!” Diego yelled. 

“It’s the bow,” you told him, realizing what she was trying to say. “It channels her power. If we get the instrument away from her, then we have a shot at this.” Your senses were picking up on guns again. You turned towards the theater doors. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” you groaned. “They’re back!” 

It was then that the guys in gas masks showed up again. They started pouring into the main and side doors and were soon surrounding the theater. They began shooting at you and the others and Vanya finally allowed for the other members of the orchestra to flee. 

Five blinked into the middle of the center aisle. “What’s with all the lollygagging?” 

“Five, get down!” Diego yelled. 

You took a deep breath and used your power to seek out all of the weapons like you had done at the bowling alley. You knew that you needed to really work on expanding your power. There were too many guns and too much at stake here. It seemed like the number of attackers in the room was endless. Once you took care of one, there was going to be yet another one to worry about. Your whole family was in this building. If there was one stray bullet or anyone got a lucky hit in, then you could just as easily lose someone tonight. 

“Where were you, Five?” Luther asked. 

“I had an errand to run.” He glanced at the figures in the gas masks. “I know these guys,” he told you and the others. “We’re screwed.” 

Diego began to throw his knives and you started taking out the guns one by one. You directed the knife Diego had given you when you split up earlier to his side so he could use it. You knew that it would make him feel better if he had the full range of his weapons. He smiled at you as he picked up the knife and threw it at one of the closest goons. 

Your power wanted to wane, but you knew that you couldn’t let it. You kept going, redirecting guns when you could or even using them to shoot at the other figures in gas masks. You used your power to knock out one of the people in the gas masks with the butt of their own gun. You pushed your power as far as you could, feeling yourself beginning to strain from the effort. Your power could sense every gun in the room, including the one that Allison now had in her hand, but you couldn’t take them all out at the same time. You remembered Hargreeves telling you that if you never worked to expand your power, then you would be useless to save the others. You hoped that you wouldn’t prove him right. 

It was then that Klaus ran into the theater, yelling something about Cha-Cha. When guns aimed his way, Five blinked back into the aisle and threw himself on the back of one of the attackers. He used the momentum of the person to turn them around so that they fired on the others in the gas masks. 

You pushed yourself up, holding onto the thought that if you didn’t take out as many guns as possible, then everyone you loved was at risk. Five was easily in the line of fire. Diego was getting more bold in an effort to throw his knives at the attackers. The seats could only do so much to shield Allison, Klaus, and Luther. You knew you had to do something. 

You knew hate and anger made your power stronger, but love had always been your number one motivation. Now, the people you loved most in the world were at risk and you’d do anything to keep them safe. 

You stopped bullets before they hit their targets and crumbled as many guns as you could. You missed one bullet and it grazed your arm. You hissed and ignored the pain, knowing that if you paid attention to it, then it would just distract you further from taking out as many of the attackers as you could. You held out your hand and focused your power on the group of attackers, pulling guns out of their grasps. 

All the while, Vanya kept playing. 

It was the awed look on Allison’s face that got you to turn around. 

You were surprised to see Klaus standing and his hands glowing. In front of him, Ben had manifested. 

“Ben?” You whispered, taking a step closer at the sight of him. You had gone years without seeing him and now that he was here, you couldn’t believe it. 

You watched as Klaus conjured Ben long enough for him to use his powers and take out the rest of the attackers. You were so surprised at the sight of Ben. It had been years since you got to see him in action. Ben had always dreaded his powers, but as you watched him save you and the others, you couldn’t help but think that he looked relieved to be able to finally use them again. 

“Yeah! Now who's the lookout?” Klaus yelled triumphantly once the guys in gas masks were effectively taken care of and Ben had disappeared from sight. 

You rushed forward to hug him. “I’m so proud of you,” you whispered in his ear. 

“Me too,” Klaus admitted with a laugh. He reached out to run his fingers around the edge of where the bullet had grazed your arm. You looked down to see blood staining the arm of your shirt. 

“Don’t worry about it,” you told him with a shake of your head. 

You glanced around at the rest of the group and noticed that Diego wasn’t there. “Where’s Diego?” 

Luther shook his head. “He saw that Cha-Cha woman and took off after her.” 

“Damn it,” you groaned. You moved to go after him, but Five stopped you. 

“It’s something he needs to do for himself.” 

“He needs help,” you tried to argue. 

Five nodded over towards Diego was limping over towards the group. “Does he?” 

“Okay, we need to figure out how to stop this,” Luther interjected. 

You glanced up at the stage to see that Vanya’s clothes had turned white as well as her violin. “It’s like an Apocalypse Suite,” you said. “Once it’s over, we’re probably all screwed. Think of how much energy she’s getting ready to unleash.” 

“So what do we do?” Diego asked as he looked around the group. 

“We need to all go after her at the same time,” Luther answered. 

“So it’s a suicide mission,” Klaus commented. 

“One of us has to get through, right?” Five asked. He glanced up at the stage where Vanya was still playing. “Better one of us than none of us.” 

Allison smacked Luther on the arm and shook her head. You knew that she was against the idea of ambushing Vanya just as much as you were. 

“I agree with Allison. There has to be a better way,” you said. 

“This is what we’ve got,” Luther said. “Who’s with me?” 

You watched the other guys agree to Luther’s plan while you watched Allison. You could tell that she was planning something, but you didn’t know what. You moved over towards her. “What do you want to do? How can I help?” 

Allison tried to say something, but her vocal cords were still strained and she couldn’t get a sound out. Finally, she tapped her ear. It was then that you understood what she wanted. Vanya‘s power seemed to come from sound. If you took out her hearing, then she likely wouldn’t be able to access her power any longer. 

The others had all rushed the stage, but you knew that they wouldn’t be successful. Vanya was too powerful. You and Allison went for the stage. You stayed in front of Allison, wanting to make sure that Vanya didn’t notice the pair of you and waiting to take the fall if she went after you and Allison. You glanced over and noticed that Vanya had the others tethered with her power. You could see that she was slowly killing them. 

“Hurry,” you urged Allison. She nodded her head and moved until she was standing behind Vanya. She held up the gun she had procured at some point with it pointed at the back of Vanya’s head. You were worried for a moment that she was about to kill Vanya, but you trusted Allison. You knew that she wouldn’t do anything to hurt Vanya and you had to trust that she would follow through with her idea. You could see that her hand was shaking, so you reached out with your power to steady the gun in her grip. 

Allison moved the gun so that it was just beside Vanya’s ear and pulled the trigger. Without being able to hear, Vanya couldn’t produce her power and the others fell to the floor. You ran to check on the others just as Vanya’s stored power and energy redirected out of the glass dome in the roof and she fell back into Allison’s arms. Vanya was worrying limp in Allison’s grip. You knew that when you used your power for so long, then you felt drained. You couldn’t even imagine what that amount of power had done to Vanya once she was no longer in control of it. You were worried that it had killed her. 

Luther hurried up onto the stage to check on Allison and Vanya while you checked over Five. Five waved you away and you and the others moved to reconvene around Vanya. 

“Is she alive?” Luther asked. 

Allison nodded her head. You let out a breath of relief as you looked to Diego. 

“You okay?” You asked him. 

“Yeah.” He took a deep breath before he considered you. “What about you?” 

“I’m alive,” you offered with a shrug of your shoulders, not sure of what else to say. 

“I don’t think that’s going to be true for long,” Klaus mentioned. You glanced over to see that he was staring up at the sky through the hole in the roof. “You see that big Moon rock coming towards us?” 

You heard Five mumbling something to himself, but you didn’t know what. You stared up at the sky, feeling frozen. This was definitely a problem that you and the others couldn’t even hope to fix. It seemed that no matter what choices you made, the apocalypse was still nigh. “So that’s it,” you finally said. “This is how it all ends.” Once those rocks hit the Earth’s surface, it would all be over. There was no way that anything could survive that kind of impact and the destruction that was sure to radiate from wherever the pieces of Moon happened to hit. 

“Reginald Hargreeves would be so proud,” Diego said sarcastically as he reached out to grab your hand. “The Umbrella Academy a complete and total failure until the very end.” 

“At least we’re all together in the end,” Luther mentioned. 

“I think I have a way out of this,” Five offered. 

You saw the others shake their heads and move to disregard Five’s plan. 

“What is it, Five?” You couldn’t help but ask. You had always known that Five was by far the most intelligent of the group. You trusted that he really had a plan to pull off at the eleventh hour. Besides, it was better than standing here and watching the world end. 

“I can use my ability to time travel again, but this time I’ll take you all with me. We can go back and try to prevent any of this from happening.” 

“Will that work?” Luther asked, seeming like he was coming around to the idea in the face of nothing else to do. 

“I don’t know,” Five answered with a shake of his head. “I’ve never brought someone with me before. It’s all we have, though.” 

The others all seemed to agree to the idea and Luther turned to look at Klaus. “What about Ben?” 

Klaus glanced over his shoulder briefly before he nodded his head. “He’s in.” 

“Should we be taking Vanya?” Luther asked as he moved to scoop her up into his arms. “She does cause the apocalypse. Can’t we just leave her here?” 

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. “She’s important, Luther. She has to go with us.” 

“Vanya will always cause the apocalypse. We need to take her with us so that we can fix her,” Five informed Luther. “Now gather around me so I can try to save our asses.” 

You and the others formed a circle. You were standing between Diego and Klaus and clutching their hands tightly in yours. You were so worried that you were all about to die a horrible death, but you knew that you had to have faith in Five. You grinned over at Klaus. “Once more unto the breach?” You asked and he grinned and nodded his head. 

You turned to look at Diego as Five concentrated on his power. There was still a very real chance that despite how much faith you had in Five and his ability, that you and the others were about to die along with the rest of the world. You squeezed Diego’s hand to gain his attention. “We’ll be okay, right?” 

“We will,” Diego agreed as he squeezed your hand back. “We have to have that talk, remember?” 

You nodded your head and smiled at him. This might not have been what you had imagined when you thought of saving the world. There had been too many unknowns, though. Now, if this worked, you and the others had all of the information you needed. You could help Vanya. You would make sure Harold Jenkins never came near her again. You would work on strengthening your ties with your family so that you could come together as a more efficient team. Best of all, you and Diego could take the time and figure out whatever was going on between the two of you. 

“Hold on!” Five shouted. “It’s going to get messy!” 

You could see the blue dome that formed over you and the others. You closed your eyes as you felt Five’s power begin to work. It felt like it was pulling at you like a wave that was crashing down on you and trying to sweep you away. You shivered at the feeling of it and then opened your eyes. You could have sworn that everyone looked shockingly younger for one second before everything disappeared in a flash of white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end for now, folks. I really loved writing this fic and I will make sure to come back with a sequel once season two of TUA drops. In the meantime, I have other TUA fics planned if anyone is interested in those. And you can always follow me on Tumblr if you want. I really want to start taking requests at some point. Just look for bucky4cap45 and if you follow me, let me know who you are and I'll follow back.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has given this fic any love. You guys really kept this going and I hope you all like this. ♥
> 
> Also, if you're like me and going to see Endgame this week, then good luck! I feel like it's going to be a bumpy ride.


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